The Political RecordFederal electoral districtsNo. 48003Alberta

Bow River

Name: 2025 Canadian federal election in Bow River
Start: 2025-04-28
End: 2025-04-28

Bow River is a federal riding in Alberta. David Bexte (Conservative) has represented Bow River since the 2025 election. David Bexte (Conservative) held Bow River for the Conservatives in the 2025 election by 35,043 votes (62.0 points), with 78.9% of the vote. Bentley Barnes (Liberal) was second with 16.9%, on a turnout of 66.5% of 85,571 electors. Member as of 2026-11-01.

Fig. 1 — Bow River on the board, 2023 boundaries; the ridings next door as the House holds them on 2026-11-01. Open it on the board →

Who represents Bow River

David Bexte's piece from the board. Illustration after the official portrait © House of Commons.

David Bexte

Member of Parliament for Bow River

Conservative

MP since 2025-04-28 · first term

Environment and Sustainable Development committee

123 speeches in the 45th Parliament, most often on Business of Supply — Main Estimates, 2025-26.

Contact and office · House of Commons →

The 2025 result: Conservative hold

Share of the valid votes by candidate, Bow River, April 28, 2025

Shares of the 56,554 valid votes; a candidate under 1% is counted with the others. Source: Elections Canada, official voting results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
David Bexte	Conservative	44,605	78.9%
Bentley Barnes	Liberal	9,562	16.9%
Louisa Gwin	New Democratic	1,689	3.0%
Others (2)		698	1.2%

David Bexte (Conservative) won Bow River on April 28, 2025 with 44,605 votes, 78.9% of the 56,554 valid votes. Bentley Barnes (Liberal) was second with 9,562 (16.9%), 35,043 votes and 62.0 points behind.

Of the 56,554 valid votes, David Bexte (Conservative) took 78.9%, Bentley Barnes (Liberal) 16.9% and Louisa Gwin (New Democratic) 3.0%; the 2 other candidates took 1.2% together. Turnout was 66.5% of 85,571 electors: 56,945 ballots cast, 56,554 of them valid, for 5 candidates.

Since 2021

Against the 2021 result on these boundaries, the Conservatives are up 9.7 (69.2% to 78.9%), the Liberals up 9.1 (7.8% to 16.9%) and the New Democrats down 6.3 (9.3% to 3.0%), in points of the valid votes.

2021 is Elections Canada's transposition of that election onto the 2023 boundaries, not an election held on these lines.

Since 2004: a Conservative stronghold

The party first in Bow River at each general election, 2004 to 2025, on today's boundaries

2004Conservative78.4%by 69.3 points over the Liberals
2006Conservative81.1%by 73.5 points over the New Democrats
2008Conservative77.8%by 68.9 points over the New Democrats
2011Conservative79.2%by 68.6 points over the New Democrats
2015Conservative77.3%by 63.5 points over the Liberals
2019Conservative83.8%by 77.9 points over the Liberals
2021Conservative69.2%by 59.4 points over the People's Party
2025Conservative78.9%by 62.0 points over the Liberals

Each election carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate to 2019, Elections Canada's transposition for 2021, the official result for 2025. Parties are counted as they ran.

The figures

Year	First	Share	Second	Margin (pts)	Basis
2004	Conservative	78.4%	Liberal	69.3	carried, our estimate
2006	Conservative	81.1%	New Democratic	73.5	carried, our estimate
2008	Conservative	77.8%	New Democratic	68.9	carried, our estimate
2011	Conservative	79.2%	New Democratic	68.6	carried, our estimate
2015	Conservative	77.3%	Liberal	63.5	carried, our estimate
2019	Conservative	83.8%	Liberal	77.9	carried, our estimate
2021	Conservative	69.2%	People's	59.4	transposed by Elections Canada
2025	Conservative	78.9%	Liberal	62.0	official result

The Conservatives were first here at all eight general elections from 2004 to 2025, by an average of 67.9 points over the next party. In 2025 the Conservatives took 78.9% of the vote here, 0.8 points above their average of 78.1% at the seven general elections from 2004 to 2021.

On today's boundaries the Conservatives were first here in 2004 (78.4%), 2006 (81.1%), 2008 (77.8%), 2011 (79.2%), 2015 (77.3%), 2019 (83.8%), 2021 (69.2%) and 2025 (78.9%), each with the share of the valid votes shown.

A stronghold is a party first at every general election since 2004, by an average of 20 points or more over the next party; held, first at every one; usually, first at all but one. By-elections are not counted. By this rule 77 of the 343 ridings are strongholds. The results before 2021 are carried onto today's boundaries by where the riding's 2025 electors lived: our estimate, from the older boundaries of Taylor, Lucas, Kirby and Hewitt and the results in Sevi's "Who Runs?". 2021 is Elections Canada's transposition, and 2025 the official result.

Before 2025

2021 Conservative · Martin Shields, by 30,568 votes (59.8 pts)
2019 Conservative · Martin Shields, by 43,106 votes (78.1 pts)
2015 Conservative · Martin Shields, by 31,861 votes (63.7 pts)

In the old Bow River on the 2013 boundaries, the riding most of the 2025 electors in today's Bow River lived in; Elections Canada's official results.

What kind of place Bow River is

Population: 112,7702021 census
Area: 21,494km²
Density: 5.3people per km²
Electors: 85,571on the 2025 lists

Distinctions · ranked against all 343 ridings

10th-widest margin in Canada
Won by 62.0 points (35,043 votes) · 10th of 343

Share with French as a mother tongue is 0.8% — about 50 percent of the median riding's 1.6%.
highestlowest61st lowest of 343
Share aged 25-64 with a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.5% — about 62 percent of the median riding's 28.2%.
highestlowest62nd lowest of 343
Median age is 38.0 — a little lower than the median riding's 41.6.
highestlowest66th lowest of 343
Share of households that own their home is 78.6% — a little higher than the median riding's 71.4%.
highestlowest72nd highest of 343
Median total household income is $98,000 — about 1.2 times the median riding's $84,000.
highestlowest76th highest of 343
Share who are immigrants is 19.1% — a little higher than the median riding's 17.3%.
highestlowest166th highest of 343

2021 Census on the 2023 boundaries; each rule places this riding among all 343. Density is the census population over the riding's area.

IDid this riding change?

Yes. 99% of the 2025 electors in today's Bow River lived in the old Bow River; by area, nearly all of the riding came from it.

Share of today's electorsFormer riding

99.1%Bow River 99.5% of the area · 87% of it kept

0.9%Banff—Airdrie 0.4% of the area · 1% of it kept

How this is measured. Electors: the share of the current riding's 2025 ordinary-list electors who lived in each former riding, each 2025 polling division placed in the 2013 riding a point inside it falls in. Area: the share of the current riding's area that came from each former riding, by intersecting the 2013 and 2023 boundary files, and how much of the former riding that part was. Area is land, not population. Elections Canada counts 48 of 343 ridings as entirely unchanged.

IIThe 2025 result

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	2021	±
David Bexte	Conservative	44,605	78.9%	69.2%	+9.7
Bentley Barnes	Liberal	9,562	16.9%	7.8%	+9.1
Louisa Gwin	New Democratic	1,689	3.0%	9.3%	−6.3

2 further candidates, each under 1% of the vote

Tom Lipp	Other	402	0.7%
Aaron Patton	Other	296	0.5%

The 2021 column is Elections Canada's official transposition of the 2021 result onto these 2023 boundaries. ± is the change in each party's share. It is not "swing": with four or more competitive parties there is no single pair to swing between.

IIIHow close was it, really

Third place vs. the margin

1,689 votes

New Democratic took fewer than the 35,043-vote margin.

Election-day polls won by others

2 of 182

1 poll ended in an exact tie.

Fig. 2 — Each square is one election-day poll: ■ won by the Conservatives (179) · ■ won by another party (2) · ▨ tied (1).

Flip the seatHypothetical

It would have taken 17,522 voters switching from Conservative to Liberal — 31.0% of the 56,554 valid votes, 31.0 points — to change the result. No ballot was cast this way; this only moves votes between the top two.

Voters who switch: 0035,044

Conservative44,605

Liberal9,562

Still Conservative by 35,043 votes. Actual margin: 35,043.

IVElection day versus advance

Only 55.1% of this riding's votes were cast at election-day polls. The rest were advance or special ballots.

On election day the Conservatives took 78.4%, the Liberals 16.9%, the New Democrats 3.2% and the others 1.6%; in advance and special ballots, 79.5%, 17.0%, 2.7% and 0.8%, in that order.

Share of the valid votes by party, election-day polls against advance and special ballots, Bow River, April 28, 2025

Shares of the valid votes cast at election-day polls, and of those cast at advance polls, at mobile polls and by special ballot; the gap is the second less the first, in points. Source: Elections Canada, poll-by-poll results, the 2025 general election.

The figures

Party	Election day	Advance and special	Gap
Conservative	78.4%	79.5%	+1.1
Liberal	16.9%	17.0%	+0.1
New Democratic	3.2%	2.7%	−0.5
Other	1.6%	0.8%	−0.8

An association, not a cause. Voters who cast ballots before election day differed from those who turned out on the day. It does not say why. There is no poll-level turnout figure on this page: the elector count on a polling division includes people who voted in advance and were counted elsewhere.

VWhere it is

loading basemap…

Fig. 3 — Bow River and its 10 neighbouring ridings.

Sources and citation

"Bow River — federal riding profile and 2025 results."
The Political Record. https://politicalrecord.ca/riding/bow-river/
Accessed 2026-11-10.

Results and transposition: Elections Canada. Boundaries: Elections Canada / Statistics Canada, Open Government Licence – Canada. Census: Statistics Canada 2021 Census. Member: House of Commons.

Figures reconcile to the certified national total of 19,641,663 votes. The member is as the House of Commons listed them on 2026-11-01. Page built 2026-11-10.