Conservative candidate Hugh Stevenson says he will revisit the result of the election in the morning With 16 polls in the Sault Ste. Marie–Algoma riding remaining to be counted, the local Conservative candidate has called it an election night and said he will revisit the matter in the morning. Hugh Stevenson was behind by a few hundred votes when he cut his after-vote celebration short, around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday. Asked if he would consider running again in the future, Stevenson said absolutely. "But there's no need for that because we're going to crush it tomorrow morning," he said. About 80 people attended the celebration, including Stevenson's twin sons Joseph and James. The crowd began to thin as the night went on. At the time the celebration ended, unofficial Elections Canada numbers showed Stevenson had 25,719 votes cast in his favour. "That's unprecedented in this region for the Conservatives. And that's a win, in and of itself," said Stevenson. He said the decision to not attend local debates was made jointly between himself and the party and suggested it did not affect the results of the election. "It's all about learning this community first. Learning the issues from real people," said Stevenson. He added: "It was very clear that we have let down our workers in the city. We have let down public safety in this city. And getting out and meeting people at their front doors was incredibly valuable." Asked if he plans on staying in Sault Ste. Marie if his bid to become the local MP is unsuccessful, Stevenson said he would. "We live in the most beautiful place with three great bodies of water coming together in one. We have a beautiful lifestyle in this city. We have a lot of work to do, and that work stimulates me to continue forward. I look forward to every one of those opportunities as your MP," he said. As for his abrupt resignation as chief of police two days prior to the start of the election, Stevenson said: "I was in public office, so I had to maintain my role and when the opportunity to actually run — I had to time that within a weekend, and that's why it was sort of hasty."