As Liberal supporters filed into the Coast Inn of the North tonight, the mood was decidedly more anxious than in the past.
After coasting to three straight majorities - including decisive wins in Prince George-area ridings - the feeling was Tuesday night was going to be challenging.
"It's going to be a lot more stressful tonight," Liberal supporter John Nicoletti said as he waited for the doors to open at the gathering. "I was at the last one and we pretty much knew what the end result was going to be ahead of time, but tonight's going to be a little tense."
Nicoletti isn't a card-carrying Liberal but he does support the party and attended local victory parties in 2005 and 2009.
Two large projectors in the room displayed the poll-by-poll results and graphs showing how the Liberals were doing against their regional competition. Big posters of Prince George-Valemount incumbent Shirley Bond and Prince George-Mackenzie hopeful Mike Morris flanked a "Strong economy, secure tomorrow" banner on the stage - but the candidates themselves are staying out of the public eye until the final results are known.
With Bif Naked blasting in the background, longtime Liberal supporter Darrell Hubbell didn't expect close races would dampen the mood in the room.
"The bar is open and I think we'll be able to create a certain vibe," he said.
Terri Robillard arrived early, alongside her sister Patti, to join in on what they hoped would be a fourth straight victory party. With Tuesday's results hardly a sure thing for the local candidates, the pair expected some worrisome moments until the final results were in.
"I think people are a little more nervous this year than they have been in the past," Terri said. "I think they're more on edge about what's going to happen tonight. I think they're hoping that we're going to come out on top and just going from there."
Three-term incumbent Pat Bell had to bow out this year due to a medical ailment and was replaced on the Liberal ticket by Morris.
"Mackenzie is going to be different this year because they have a new person in, but I have faith in Mike, that he'll do a good job," she said. "Shirley, she's in my riding and she's my favourite. I know she'll do a good job."
Hubbell said regardless of what the final results showed, he wanted to come down to the celebration to show his support for the party.
"This is about how did we do," he said. "Typically the loud people are a minority and the majority is always silent and we'll see how that all plays out in the end."
Even if the NDP formed government as the polls suggested they would, Hubbell said the Liberals would have another chance in four years.
"There is no permanent doom no matter who a person supports," he said. "If someone else gets elected, it's not permanent doom, it's just the way it is now."
