The riding of Hampton as it exists today is the result of Tory design by the Alward government in 2013. It was designed, or gerrymandered, to be a Tory stronghold for the foreseeable future. Now, in 2018, Hampton is a safe haven for Progressive Conservative leader Blaine Higgs who is trailing in the polls behind Brian Gallant. Higgs spent a portion of today in Hampton with MLA Gary Crossman in a possible attempt to feed off Crossman’s popularity.
The 2014 race was an exciting one for Hampton. Former PC MLA Bev Harrison challenged incumbent PC MLA Gary Crossman as a New Democrat. This year will not be nearly as exciting, but should be a two horse race between Liberal and Progressive Conservative. Crossman is reoffering as expected and will face off with local lawyer Carley Parish. Parish and Crossman both have sterling records of volunteer efforts and serving the community. Crossman served on town council and Parish served on the town Chamber of Commerce. Both are large figures in the community, though Crossman does enjoy the gerrymander advantage.
The Greens are giving John Sabine a second chance. A retired Saint John Police Officer, Sabine also has a record of volunteer work and community experience. However, the Green Party with Sabine came in a distant fourth in 2014. Sabine has promised to donate half of his legislative income to charity if elected.
Rounding out the ticket are Layton Peck and Dana Hansen of the NDP and People’s Alliance respectively. The NDP did come in second in 2014 but that was largely due to the fact they ran a former Tory; Bev Harrison. In 2014 the PANB crawled across the finish line with a dismal fifth place performance and at this juncture there is no reason to expect any more of the PANB in Hampton this go around.
politiconb 