The race to be the first MP to represent Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola has shown parallels to the national campaign, with two would-be contenders emerging and the possibility of the NDP’s historically robust local support slipping. Canada’s 45th election campaign has been unprecedented, dominated by the threat of U.S. annexation that continued right until voting day with President Donald Trump repeating his call for Canada to elect the man “strong” enough to see Canada become the 51st state. The campaign also saw a record number of Canadians taking advantage of advanced polls. The American elephant in the room also pushed the election into more of a two-horse race than in recent years with pollsters showing the NDP possibly losing support — a factor that showed itself anecdotally in Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola. The newly redrawn riding, previously Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, sees incumbent Conservative Frank Caputo up against former colleague Iain Currie, who is running for the Liberals following two unsuccessful runs for the Green Party. Sparks flew between the two rivals during an all-candidates debate last week. Rounding out the field is Miguel Godau of the NDP and Chris Enns of the People’s Party of Canada. The Green Party named a candidate for the riding, Jenna Lindley, but she has not been heard from on the campaign trail, though her name is on the ballot. Enns has spoken about wanting to implement the PPC agenda with a moratorium on immigration, while Godau has said he wants to be an ear for the people of the riding in Ottawa. Currie has gone on the offensive, pointing to the Liberals' strong polling and positioning himself as a would-be government MP. Caputo has flexed his record, noting he had a private members bill passed from Opposition — a rare feat — and has numerous others he plans to pursue if elected. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Check back here for updates on the Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola riding as the election night unfolds. Coverage on the race to represent the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding is available here.