Election 2025: Sohi loses in Edmonton Southeast as Conservative Mahal clinches victory

Liberal Amarjeet Sohi’s attempt to return to Ottawa wound up falling short, with the mayor and former MP losing in Edmonton Southeast to Conservative candidate and lawyer Jagsharan Singh Mahal.

At The Royal Palace banquet hall on Edmonton’s east end, more than a hundred supporters gathered Monday night to cheer Edmonton mayor Sohi, despite the disappointing news. As early results showed the Conservative newcomer pulling ahead with a comfortable lead, Sohi entered the packed room to loud applause, hugs, and shouts of encouragement.

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He embraced longtime volunteers, shook hands, and thanked those who had stood by him. The mood was emotional, but not defeated.

“This is not the result we expected, but this is the result that we accept,” Sohi said. “Because people make decisions, people elect you, and sometimes they do not elect you. That is what democracy is all about.”

With 147 of 159 polls reporting late Monday night, Mahal had secured 53.5 per cent of the vote, well ahead of Sohi’s 38.4 per cent. The NDP’s Harpreet Grewal trailed at 5.4 per cent.

Sohi, who took an unpaid leave from his mayoral duties to run, had hoped to return to federal politics after previously serving as a Liberal MP and cabinet minister. The Edmonton Southeast riding is newly created this year, but its political dynamics reflect a familiar pattern — one in which Liberal candidates from Edmonton city council face tough battles against Conservatives.

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In 2015, Sohi won a razor-thin race in the then-newly drawn riding of Edmonton Mill Woods, beating Conservative candidate Tim Uppal by just 92 votes. But he lost to Uppal in 2019 by a much wider margin. In 2021, fellow councillor Ben Henderson also took leave from council to run for the Liberals in Mill Woods — again losing to Uppal.

This time, Uppal was not in the race, running instead in Edmonton Gateway, but Sohi faced a fresh Conservative first-time candidate Mahal, a longtime Edmonton resident and practising lawyer with over 12 years of legal experience.

Mahal focused his campaign on affordability, crime, and support for small businesses — key issues that may have resonated with voters. He also advocated for reforming the bail release system, revitalizing Downtown Edmonton, and lowering commercial property taxes.

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Mahal described the transition from lawyer to lawmaker as a natural step, saying his hands-on experience with residents’ challenges would guide his work in Ottawa.

Meanwhile, Sohi leaned on his legacy in civic politics, highlighting his long-standing ties to Edmonton with years of public service as a city councillor, federal cabinet minister, and mayor. But in the end, it wasn’t enough to flip the tide.

“I think this is also a reflection that the vast majority of folks who are worried about affordability, worried about cost of living,” Sohi told reporters after his speech. “I think that’s a lesson to be learned — that why progressive politicians are unable to speak to the anxieties of the working class.”

Sohi said he called Mahal’s campaign to offer his congratulations.

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“It’s very important that we do that, because at the end of the day, we are one Edmonton community.”

Though his return to federal office was not to be, Sohi said he has no regrets about running and reiterated that he won’t seek re-election as mayor.

“I will not be running for mayor again,” he said. “But I will continue… look for opportunities to continue to serve Edmonton in various volunteer opportunities that become available.”

With six months left in his term, Sohi plans to return to City Hall soon.

For now, Sohi says, his focus is back on the city he calls home.

cnguyen@postmedia.com

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