So just how solid is the Conservative base in rural Saskatchewan?
Really solid, Consider the numbers:
Battlefords-Lloydminster. All the other candidates, 9,311 votes. Conservative Gerry Ritz, 18,847 votes. Ritz takes 67 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Glenn Tait by 11,262 votes.
Blackstrap. All the other candidates, 19, 466 votes. Conservative Lynne Yelich, 23,128. Yelich takes 54.3 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Darien Moore by 7,380 votes.
Cypress Hills-Grasslands. All the other candidates, 8,874 votes. Conservative David Anderson, 20,560 votes. Anderson takes 69.9 per cent of the votes and wins over New Democrat Trevor Peterson by 14,359 votes.
Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill Rivers. All the other candidates, 11,421 votes. Conservative Rob Clarke, 10,504 votes. Clarke takes 47.9 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat candidate Lawrence Joseph by 789 votes.
Palliser. All the other candidates, 18,118 votes. Conservative Ray Boughen, 14,976. Boughen takes 45.3 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Noah Evanchuk by 565 votes.
Prince Albert. All the other candidates, 11,133 votes. Conservative Randy Hoback, 17,836 votes. Hoback takes 61.6 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Valerie Mushinski by 8,468 votes.
Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre: All the other candidates, 16,808 votes. Conservative Tom Lukiwski, 18,076 votes. Lukiwski takes 51.8 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Brian Sklar by 5,645 votes.
Regina-Qu'Appelle. All the other candidates, 13,824 votes. Conservative Andrew Scheer, 15,897 votes. Scheer takes 53.5 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Fred Clipsham by 4,479 votes.
Saskatoon-Humboldt. All the other candidates, 17,911 votes. Conservative Brad Trost, 19,931 votes. Trost takes 52.7 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Denise Kouri by 6,649 votes.
Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar. All the other candidates, 15,254 votes. Conservative candidate Kelly Block, 14,645 votes. Block takes 49 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Nettie Wiebe by 796 votes.
Saskatoon-Wanuskewin. All the other candidates, 13,823 votes. Conservative Maurice Vellacott, 21,183 votes. Vellacott takes 60.5 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat John Parry by 9,788 votes.
Souris-Moose Mountain. All the other candidates, 7,553 votes. Conservative Ed Kormanicki, 21,496 votes. Kormanicki takes 74 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Allan Arthur by 16,067 votes.
Wascana. All the other candidates, 17,746 votes. Conservative Ian Shields, 14,133 votes. Shields takes 44.3 per cent of the vote and finishes second to Liberal Ralph Goodale by 1,489 votes.**
Yorkton-Melville. All the other candidates, 9,892 votes. Conservative Gary Breitkreuz, 21,906 votes. Breitkreuz takes 68.2 per cent of the vote and wins over New Democrat Doug Ottenbreit by 14,975 votes.
So what do all these numbers add mean?
Well, the Conservatives only lost one Saskatchewan riding - largely urban Wascana to Ralph Goodale. And considering that Ian Shields loss by less than 1,500 votes to an MP first elected in 1974, this wasn't a bad showing.
Only three ridings were close. Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill Rivers, Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar Palliser all saw Conservative wins by less than 1,000 votes. But considering these are largely urban or northern ridings, the Conservative showing was very strong.
In the other 10 ridings, the Conservatives received a majority of the vote and the closest race was Andrew Scheer's 4,500 margin of victory. That Scheer was up against a well-known veteran Regina city councillor makes his victory even more impressive.
In four of the Conservative wins, the Tory candidates margin of victory exceeded that of the all the other candidates put together. And given that percentage vote for second-place New Democrats increases by seven per cent in this province, the Conservative dominance was that much more spectacular.
The Conservative victory in this province was an overwhelming one.
Voters should have high expectations from both them and Stephen Harper's majority government.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 15 years.
