Wallace wins Tory nod in Saint John

John Wallace was the easy winner last night when Saint John Conservatives picked their candidate for the coming federal election.

The lawyer defeated two challengers on the first ballot.

Wallace received 405 votes, followed by party organizer Lisa Keenan, who had 165. Jim Parrot, a local heart surgeon, was a distant third.

Wallace gave credit to his volunteers and said his win was also the result of his involvement in the waterfront development project in Saint John.

Conservatives can normally count on Saint John as a party stronghold.

The city has voted Conservative in almost every election since 1979. The only exception was last year, after former MP Elsie Wayne retired and Paul Zed took the riding for the Liberals.