The Ford government has won both provincial by-elections this evening, keeping both ridings blue.
In Milton, PC candidate Zee Hamid has won a tight race against Liberal candidate Galen Naidoo Harris.
Hamid won with 47 per cent of the vote over his Liberal rival who earned 38.25 per cent. Polls had showed the two were in a very tight race, and had showed Harris with a slight lead.
NDP Candidate Edie Strachan came in a distant third with 6.76 per cent.
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Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals had tried to take Milton from the Tories, and earn back one of the all-important 905 ridings because the vote-rich suburban ridings around the GTA are crucial to winning control of the provincial government.
However, the Ford government was able to hold on to Milton, which was previously held by former MPP Parm Gill, who stepped down to run federally.
In Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Progressive Conservative candidate Steve Pinsonneault won with nearly 57 per cent of the vote, to keep the riding for Ford.
The riding had previously been held by the former Labour Minister Monte McNaughton who resigned as MPP in September, after 12 years.