David Shearer wins By election.

Some of you may remember my post in May on: election-fever-david-shearer. Yesterday we voted and my candidate won with a wallopping majority.

New Zealand herald:


10:45PM Saturday June 13, 2009

The extent of Labour's win in the Mt Albert by-election last night was a perfect result from Phil Goff's point of view.

The majority of 9187 was an emphatic win for David Shearer. It vindicates Goff's support for Shearer's candidacy over list MP Phil Twyford. And it gives the Goff leadership greater legitimacy. This is his first proper victory.

He did not actually win the leadership when Labour was defeated last November after three terms in office. Helen Clark brokered the bloodless handover because there was no guarantee he would have won the ringing endorsement of a bruised caucus.

Clark texted her congratulations from the Congo last night to team Labour which partied rowdily at a warehouse in Kingsland. (Shearer also managed not to be more successful than former Prime Minister Helen Clark who had a 10,351 last election. That would not do.)

The night not only belonged to Shearer and Goff; it belonged to the pollsters. Too often they are remembered when they are askew.

Last night it was not so much a case of bugger the pollsters as Bolger proclaimed when he was almost tipped out of office after just one term but Praise Be to the Pollsters. The One News and TV3 polls predicted a walloping by Labour and that’s what happened.

David Shearer 63 per cent of the vote; Melissa Lee 17 per cent; the Green’s Russel Norman 12 per cent and Act’s John Boscawen 4 per cent.