The Harper Conservatives reclaimed the seat in the Ontario riding of Durham in Monday's byelection.
Erin O'Toole - a former air force pilot and navy captain turned corporate lawyer - made it a quick night in Durham, a safe Conservative seat, leaving the second-place New Democrat challenger well in his wake.
A cheer went up from supporters when O'Toole cracked 50 per cent of the popular vote, leaving NDP candidate Larry O'Connor with just under 30 per cent - an improvement on his party's 21 per cent of the vote in the 2011 general election.
"That's what you need," an O'Toole supporter enthused.
The seat was vacated when former cabinet minister Bev Oda resigned following a series of spending and expense controversies that tarnished the Conservative brand as tight-fisted managers.
