Andrew Lawton wins Conservative Party of Canada nomination for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South

Journalist, broadcaster, and author Andrew Lawton has won the nomination to run as Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party of Canada in the new riding of Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.

No vote totals were announced, but Lawton beat Anthony Shields Saturday night in a vote at the St. Anne’s Centre in St. Thomas, Ont.

“This was a really, really great opportunity for the members to have their say in who their next member of parliament is,” Lawton told CTV News after winning the nomination. “I think all across the riding, everyone is absolutely fed up with the government. They want some strong conservative voices, and I'm happy to be a part of that following the legacy of Karen Vecchio.”

Voting took place for three hours Saturday afternoon, and less than an hour after voting ended, the ballots were counted, and Lawton was announced the winner.

Some leaving the event told CTV News that over 1,200 people voted.

“I felt fantastic about all of the people coming out,” said Lawton. “I've had a career in media, so some people know my work through that. Others have been lifelong conservatives and others have never been a member of a political party before they signed up to vote in this nomination. We're seeing a massive swell in support for the conservative message.”

Shields was gracious in defeat. He was fighting an uphill battle as a candidate for less than a week, while Lawton has been seeking the role since late July.

Anthony Shields arrives at St. Anne’s Centre in St. Thomas, Ont. for the nomination meeting on Saturday Nov. 9, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) “It’s disappointing but I did the best I could with the time provided to me by the National Conservative Party,” said Shields. “They gave me five days to run the race, and I did the best I could with five days. It is not a lot of time. They could have had the vote any time as late as November 25, but the decision was made to have the vote today on November 9.”

Holding the date Saturday was “too early,” some party members told CTV News outside the venue. They were also perplexed by the fact media were not allowed inside the venue during either voting or the announcement.

“What are they hiding?” was a common thought by those who spoke to CTV.

The returning officer telling media, “This is a private event, and media are not allowed inside.”

A sign posted on the door at St. Anne’s Centre in St. Thomas, Ont. denies video and photography, but in a rare occurrence, CTV News was also not even allowed inside the building for the nomination. The returning officer said it was their decision because it was a “private event.” (Brent Lale/CTV News London) MP Karen Vecchio was disappointed after the result, as she had openly endorsed Shields leading into the nomination meeting.

“He was given the shortest window I've ever seen and ran a very honorable campaign,” said Vecchio. “I've worked with him in the past, and he did a tremendous job for a five-day campaign.”

She also didn’t like the way the nomination day was handled. Neither candidate was allowed on site, they weren’t able to campaign to their voters, and media were kept out of the building.

“I'll be honest, I've never seen anything like this,” said Vecchio.

“It's very unfortunate because I had people saying to me, ‘Well, you're Electoral District Association,’ and I basically had to stand up because they weren't able to stand up for themselves. They had nothing they were able to do, including the date that was chosen. We were told it was going to be the 23rd of November, but well, welcome to November 9.”

Now that Lawton has won the nomination in a typical-Conservative riding which is polling way more than 50 per cent right now, he has to start spreading his message.

“Knocking on doors,” said Lawton about what is next. “I mean, the last little bit, I've been campaigning only to Conservative members. But now it's time to take the message and go out to every part of the riding here, from Bayham to West Lorne and talk to all of the people here. The work starts really immediately.”

Having worked recently as the managing editor of True North, a right-wing media outlet, Lawton was asked “what kind of conservative he plans to be?”

“We've been putting forward a common-sense Conservative message, things like getting rid of the carbon tax, getting the size of government under control, and defending free speech,” said Lawton. “These are entirely mainstream positions. I think that's why we see so many Canadians looking to the Conservatives for an alternative. I'm really excited to be a part of that team in the next election.”

Despite disappointment in the result, Vecchio said her party members have spoken.

“The one thing I do understand is that here in this community, we vote for the person that's going to represent our community,” said Vecchio. “Andrew will have to prove to the people of Elgin, St. Thomas, London South that he's there for the people.”