Representing three political parties wasn't enough to help former Alberta MLA Laura Blakeman retain her seat in the provincial legislature.
Blakeman, who ran as a candidate for the Liberal Party, the Green Party and the Alberta Party, finished a distant second to her New Democratic Party rival in the riding of Edmonton Centre on Tuesday. Blakeman garnered about 25 per cent of the riding's votes, while NDP candidate David Shepherd picked up 54 per cent of the vote to take the provincial seat.
In March, Blakeman announced her intention to run as a candidate for three political parties , in hopes of unseating the then-dominant Progressive Conservatives. Blakeman entered the election with eight years of experience as a Liberal MLA.
All three parties insisted, at the time, they were not merging and the Alberta NDP previously said they want no part in sharing candidates.
The NDP swept to power on Tuesday night, unseating the PCs in a massive shakeup of the Alberta political landscape. The Wildrose Party rose up to claim the Official Opposition spot, snagging 21 seats, up from 17 in the last election.
The Alberta Party won one seat in the legislature. The Liberals also dropped to one seat, down from five spots in the 2012 election.
It was the third straight decline for the Alberta Liberals, who had 16 seats in 2004 and fell to nine in 2008.
