Prior to the polling, there was speculation that Strangford could be a problematic constituency for the DUP. However, the exact opposite transpired, with Strangford emerging as a beacon of success in an otherwise challenging election for the DUP. Out of all the DUP’s triumphs that night, the re-election of the incumbent MP Jim Shannon, who has been a Strangford representative in Westminster since 2010, stood as one of the most noteworthy. His majority of 5,131 votes marked the DUP’s second-best outcome of the night.
His opponent, Alliance councillor Michelle Guy, maintained her party’s vote reasonably steady, with a small decline of a single percentage point (27% compared to Kellie Armstrong’s 28% in 2019). This slight dip prompted contemplation about potential gains for the Alliance party had a more well-known candidate been on the ballot. However, they regard Guy’s performance as a foundation to build upon for the future in the Strangford constituency.
While Shannon secured a clear victory, his vote share did decrease, slipping from 47% in the 2019 election to 40% in the most recent. Nevertheless, the DUP saw this result as a definitive and much-needed win. The introduction of TUV candidate Ron McDowell, who claimed 3,143 votes, was seen to eat into the DUP’s share, particularly as TUV were not contenders in the previous 2019 election.
True to form, in his victory speech, Shannon reiterated the continuous call for unity within unionism. He stressed, “Where unionism is divided, unionism loses,” and expressed his wish for all unionist parties participating in this election and throughout the province to introspect and unite for the cause.