Andrea Horwath

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Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath

In office
May 13, 2004 – October 29, 2007
Preceded by Dominic Agostino
Succeeded by riding dissolved

Incumbent
Assumed office 
October 30, 2007
Preceded by first member

Political party New Democratic Party
Occupation community development worker, city councillor

Andrea Horwath is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Hamilton East for the Ontario New Democratic Party.

Horwath was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Labour Studies from McMaster University in that city. She received her first job as a community development worker at the McQueston Legal Clinic, providing assistance to workers in the city.

In the Canadian general election of 1997, she challenged incumbent Liberal Stan Keyes in the riding of Hamilton West. Although unsuccessful, her second-place finish was a significant improvement on previous NDP efforts in the riding, and gave her an increased level of prominence in the city. Later in the year, she was elected to the Hamilton City Council for Ward Two (in the downtown core), outpolling two incumbents who had represented the area for more than twenty years. She emerged as a prominent voice for the political left in the city, and was re-elected to council in 2000 and 2003.

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[edit] By-election

Horwath was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a 2004 by-election in the riding of Hamilton East, defeating Liberal candidate Ralph Agostino to succeed the deceased Liberal member Dominic Agostino, Ralph's brother. Her landslide victory gave the NDP official party status in the legislature, and helped give the federal New Democratic Party a bounce in Hamilton that would continue into the federal election shortly thereafter.

[edit] 2007 election

In the 2007 election, Horwath ran in the new riding of Hamilton Centre due to redistricting. In the leadup to the campaign, she was expected to face Hamilton West Liberal incumbent Judy Marsales. However, Marsales opted not to run for another term, and Horwath easily defeated Liberal candidate Steve Ruddick on election day.

[edit] Electoral record

Hamilton East by-election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
     New Democrat Andrea Horwath 15,185 63.6
     Liberal Ralph Agostino 6,362 26.6
     Progressive Conservative Tara Crugnale 1,772 7.4
     Green Raymond Dartsch 448 1.9
     Independent John C. Turmel 120 0.5
Ontario general election, 2007
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
     New Democrat Andrea Horwath 17,182 44.6
     Liberal Steve Ruddick 11,042 28.7
     Progressive Conservative Chris Robertson 5,711 14.8
     Green Peter Ormond 3,703 9.6
     Family Coalition Lynne Scime 553 1.4
     Communist Bob Mann 316 0.8

[edit] External links