The 'three-horse race' in Summerside's District 21

All of the candidates inDistrict 21Summerside-Wilmothave political backgrounds. Two have held office. The other two have run before.

However when asked if he thinks his district will beone to watch on election night, Liberal incumbent Chris Palmer simply says "No."

Palmer says what he's hearing from voters is that they are pleased with the status quo.

"I think people are really excited about the growth that we're seeing in Summerside,how the economy is growing, how our tax base is growing, and how we're able to provide more supports for people that live here in Summerside," he said.

Palmer won the seat in a 2016 byelection, after former Liberal cabinet minister JaniceSherry stepped down.

Everybody's saying it's a dogfight. Tyler DesRoches, PC candidate

The district has been Liberal since 2007 prior to that, it was held by the PCs for over a decade.

And while Palmer won his seat comfortably in 2016, his Liberal predecessor won her seat by a slim margin in 2015.

'This time it's possible'

Palmer's opponents think there's room to break in. Theysay what they're hearing at the doorstep is that voters in District 21, now more than ever, are open to change.

Green candidate Lynne Lund ran against Palmer in that2016 byelection and lost by 472 votes but said this time, there's a sense that District 21 is too close to call.

"What I do know from what we're hearing at the doors is that this time it's possible," said Lund, an entrepreneur and community organizer who has run both federally and provincially in the past, and is deputy leader of the Green Party of P.E.I.

"And that in and of itself is profound from my perspective. We are hearing from so many people who are excited not just to vote Green but to take lawn signs, to volunteer to come out and help to contribute in small and big ways....What we know is that there's an appetite for change."

Progressive Conservative candidate Tyler DesRoches saidafter more than a decade of Liberal representation in the district, he's also hearing about change at the doorstep, but saidthere are different opinions on which of the candidates will be the face of that change.

'Dogfight' says PC candidate

"Everybody's saying it's a dogfight," said DesRoches. The PC candidateserved on Summersidecity councilfrom 2014-2018, is a volunteer firefighter andalso active in local sports.

"When you're on social media you see a lot....It's a three-horse race and I do believe that if we just keep pounding the pavement and get in to the doors that we can throw our neck in front," he said.

NDP candidate PauletteHalupaisn't expecting to win the seat but is hoping the thirst for change she's hearing from constituents will translate into some growth insupport for her party in the district.

"I ran eight years back and it was a whole different feel at the doors," saidHalupa.

"The last time around people were just 'Well, it's probably going to be Liberal or it's probably going to be PC', now it's like 'I'm going tofind out what's happening and then I'll make my decision.'"

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