SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Caught in the momentum of increased voter turnout in the territory and a lack of that upswing going to the Conservatives, candidate Sandy Lee came a distant second to NDP-elect Dennis Bevington Monday night in the 41st Canadian federal election.

After conceding defeat to Bevington Monday night, Lee said she planned to step away from politics for some time, but didn't rule out getting back into the mix later on down the road.

"You never say never in politics, but four years is a long time," she said, citing the likely length of time until the next federal election. "I've been working really hard for many years now and I'm going to take some time out. For all of my life I will serve the people of the NWT in whatever capacity I can."

However, despite her loss to Bevington, Lee said during a speech to her campaign team and party supporters Monday evening at After 8 Billiards that it's a new day for the nation as the first majority government was elected in over a decade – and it's a wave of blue.

I'm not sure if I could have done anything different," she said of how she and her team ran the campaign. "My team worked their hearts out. We went to all the communities and every community we went to we had good response. I have a lot of supporters across the territory."

Lee said it's an uphill battle running as a candidate and not an incumbent, which she had done in territorial politics several times.

"It's always more difficult to run against an incumbent and the NDP party had the second best night compared to the Conservative party," she said. "I don't think we could've done anything different."

Lee said all three candidates had to prove to voters why they were the right choice and Lee said Bevington, Liberal candidate Joe Handley and herself all had to work to sell themselves.

"I think for all three major candidates there were pluses and minuses," she said. "It was all on balance. Dennis had to defend his record and everyone had to put forward their positions. The people have spoken and I respect the verdict and that's what the democratic process is."

About two dozen Tory supporters huddled around a number of televisions at After 8 Billiards to watch the historic election results roll in. The room erupted when the Conservative Party passed the 155 seats needed to gain a majority government. But when results began to roll in an hour and a half after the polls closed in the territory, the room began to deflate as supporters became aware Lee wasn't going to win the Western Arctic seat.

City councillor Cory Vanthuyne said it would have been a benefit to the territory if Lee had got in. With

the re-election of Leona Aglukkaq in Nunavut and the election of Ryan Leef in the Yukon over long-time Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell, Vanthuyne said a Conservative member of parliament in the Western Arctic would have created a strong pan-territorial trio in Ottawa.

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