Manitoba Tories in difficult position following byelection loss: professor

A political studies professor says the Manitoba NDP's byelection win of a Progressive Conservative stronghold seat shows the Tories are at a low point.

A political studies professor says the Manitoba NDP's byelection win of a Progressive Conservative stronghold seat shows the Tories are at a low point.

Carla Compton won the Winnipeg seat in Tuxedo for the NDP on Tuesday night, beating Tory candidate Lawrence Pinsky by more than 600 votes.

It's the first time the seat has flipped since its creation in 1981.

It was last held by former premier and PC party leader Heather Stefanson, who announced she would be stepping down after her party lost in last year's provincial election and she narrowly reclaimed her seat.

Royce Koop at the University of Manitoba says he was surprised the blue constituency turned orange.

He says the Tories are in a difficult transition period.

"The Tories are unpopular ... and the NDP is at a high point," he said Wednesday.