PEIThe Progressive Conservatives’ Brendan Curran will be the new MLA representing District 2, Georgetown-Pownal, in the P.E.I. Legislature. Unofficial results from all polling stations came in on Elections P.E.I.’s website shortly before 8:25 P.M. AT Monday. Curran overcame P.E.I. Liberal Leader Robert Mitchell in nail-biterJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 8:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz takes a photo of Brendan Curran, centre, and his supporters Monday night. Curran, the Progressive Conservative candidate, won a byelection in District 2, Georgetown-Pownal. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)The Progressive Conservatives’ Brendan Curran will be the new MLA representing P.E.I.’s District 2, Georgetown-Pownal, in the legislature.”It feels amazing,” Curran told CBC News following his win. “The people of District 2 have spoken, they’ve elected a strong local voice, and I’m very proud to be the representative.”Unofficial results from all polling stations came in on Elections P.E.I.’s website shortly before 8:25 p.m. AT, which included counts from advance polling.Curran earned a total of 986 votes, with P.E.I. Liberal Party Leader Robert Mitchell coming second with 881 votes — though the PC candidate was behind in the vote count until the final two polls were tallied. “It’s a tough night, it’s not the outcome that we were hoping for,” Mitchell said. WATCH | Curran overcomes Liberal leader in nail-biter byelection:But the Liberal leader said he was encouraged by the results. In the last provincial election in 2023, the PCs won District 2 by more than 1,600 votes, while the Liberals placed third.“My intention is I’m staying on as leader, coming off a successful leadership run just a short two months ago,” Mitchell said. “We’re on the move, and we have momentum, and we’re not letting tonight stop any of that. We will continue working hard, and we will build for the next general election and we will be hot on [the PC Party’s] heels.” Green Party candidate Eddie Childs came in third with 200 votes, while the NDP’s Kevin Trainor was fourth with 40.Voter turnout in the district was just over 54 per cent, with a total of 2,104 votes cast. There were 3,893 eligible voters in the district.The seat was left vacant after the resignation of former provincial housing minister Steven Myers in October.The byelection results don’t change the balance of power in the province.Premier Rob Lantz’s PCs have a majority in the 27-seat legislative assembly with 20 seats following Curran’s victory. The Official Opposition Liberals have four seats, while the the Greens have three.Lantz, who was in District 2 to celebrate with Curran, called it a “big win.”Premier Rob Lantz called the byelection a ‘tough battle’ with political rookie Curran up against the leader of the P.E.I. Liberal Party. (Ken Linton/CBC)”Byelections are always difficult for governing parties and this was a tough battle,” he said. “They threw the entire provincial Liberal machine at us here, but we came out on top, so what’s not to like? It’s a good night.”Lantz became interim leader of the PC party and premier after Dennis King’s sudden resignation in February. Monday night, he said the PCs can now “move on to the next step” of electing a permanent leader — though he would not say if he would be running for the job.WATCH | Meet the candidates running for the P.E.I. Legislature in the District 2 byelection:Meet the candidates running for the P.E.I. Legislature in the District 2 byelectionPeople in District 2, Georgetown-Pownal, will be going to the polls on Dec. 8 to elect a new MLA, after Steven Myers stepped down in October. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau hit the campaign trail with the four candidates vying for the role. ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.ca
Progressive Conservative Brendan Curran wins byelection in P.E.I.’s District 2
