Jill Dunlop has been re-elected as MPP of Simcoe North.
On a night when Doug Ford easily won a second term as premier in a second consecutive majority government, Dunlop’s solid victory in a Tory stronghold was not a surprise.
While final results are not yet in, Dunlop was more than 9,500 votes ahead of her rivals as of 9:45 p.m. with 42 of 74 polls reporting.
Dunlop, who plans to savour the electoral triumph with supporters tonight at Bonaire Golf in her hometown of Coldwater, has not yet arrived at the facility.
The 47-year-old is a member of Ford’s cabinet, serving as the minister of colleges and universities. Previously, she was associate minister of children and women’s issues.
Dunlop is part of a political dynasty. Her mom, Jane Dunlop, is the long-time deputy mayor of Severn Township, while her father, Garfield Dunlop, was MPP in the riding from 1999 to 2015.
Rookie Liberal candidate Aaron Cayden Hiltz was just ahead of NDP candidate Elizabeth Van Houtte, according to the Elections Ontario website.
