A byelection in a suburban riding produced a far tighter margin than either major party had expected, prompting a round of second-guessing among political strategists.
The riding, considered safe for the incumbent party for more than a decade, saw its margin cut by more than two-thirds compared to the last general election.
“Suburban voters are clearly not voting the way conventional wisdom assumed,” one pollster said, pointing to affordability concerns as the dominant issue on the doorstep.
Party officials on both sides cautioned against reading too much into a single byelection, noting turnout is typically lower than in general elections.
