Conservative Stronghold Remains in Southern Scotland
The political composition of the four Scottish Parliament constituency seats across Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders has remained consistent following the recent election.
In Galloway and West Dumfries, Finlay Carson successfully retained the seat for the Conservative Party, defeating Emma Harper of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
Craig Hoy also ensured that Dumfriesshire remained under Conservative representation, with SNP candidate Stephen Thompson finishing second.
In the Borders region, Rachael Hamilton maintained Conservative control of Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, while the SNP held onto Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale with Calum Kerr as the elected MSP.
In Dumfriesshire, six candidates contested the seat, which was won by Craig Hoy with a margin of approximately 1,000 votes over Stephen Thompson of the SNP, marking the closest race among the four southern constituencies.
David Kirkwood of Reform UK secured third place, followed by Linda Dorward representing Labour, Liberal Democrat Iain McDonald, and Paul Adkins of the Scottish Common Party.
The seat was previously held by Oliver Mundell for the Conservatives, who had a majority exceeding 4,000 votes.
"It is great to be able hold this critically important blue wall across the south of Scotland," said Hoy.
"My colleague Finlay Carson has obviously been declared as the MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries.
"It also vindicates what we said all the way through this campaign that a vote for the Scottish Conservatives can stop the SNP."
However, Hoy noted the narrowness of the result, stating it had been "very close" as anticipated, and that Reform UK had nearly split the vote, which could have allowed the SNP to win.
Kirkwood commented on Reform UK's performance, saying the increase in vote share was "pretty good going" and that they would continue as "ordinary people trying to bring some sense into the nonsense world of politics."
The voter turnout in Dumfriesshire was 51.7%, a decrease from 66% in the previous election five years ago.
Finlay Carson retained his Galloway and West Dumfries seat for the Conservatives, albeit with a reduced majority. He defeated SNP candidate Emma Harper by about 1,600 votes, a decline of approximately 1,000 votes compared to his 2021 majority.
Reform UK's Senga Beresford finished third, followed by Labour's Jack McConnel and Liberal Democrat Tracey Warman.
Turnout in this constituency also declined, from 64.9% in the last Scottish Parliament election to 51.9% this year.
Carson said he was "absolutely delighted" and noted that they had "fought really hard" to retain the seat.
"It is such a tremendous honour, I love Galloway, I have lived here all my life so for the voters to put their trust in me I think it is a big thing," he added.
"It is very emotional, we have been running on empty for some weeks now.
"It has been a hard campaign we always knew the SNP were going to be very close behind and everybody kept telling us that Reform was going to provide an issue - we didn't see that on the doorsteps."
Emma Harper expressed pride in her campaign efforts, stating, "We had a really positive campaign and I am really proud of that."
In Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, the outcome was similar, with seven candidates contesting the seat. Rachael Hamilton was re-elected with a smaller but still substantial majority over SNP candidate John Redpath.
Following them were Jamie Langan of Reform UK, Liberal Democrat Ray Georgeson, Labour's Kaymarie Hughes, Independent James Anderson, and Terry Howson of the Alliance to Liberate Scotland.
Hamilton was defending a majority of nearly 7,000 votes.
Voter turnout decreased from 64% in 2021 to 53% in this election.
Hamilton said she was "absolutely thrilled" to retain her seat and expressed her intention to deliver on the priorities identified during her campaign.
"I want to ensure that hard-working people keep more of their money in their pockets," she said.
She also emphasized her goals to reduce violence in schools, improve educational attainment, and increase investment in road infrastructure.
In Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, there was a change in representation but not in party control. Calum Kerr succeeded Christine Grahame for the SNP, maintaining a majority similar to that secured in 2021.
Keith Cockburn of the Conservatives finished second, followed by Liberal Democrat Duncan Dunlop, Labour's Daniel Coleman, and Carolyn Grant of Reform UK.
This constituency recorded the highest voter turnout among the four southern seats at 55.6%, although this was still lower than the 66% turnout five years prior.
Kerr remarked, "I am so proud of my whole team and terribly grateful to the whole electorate."
"There are things when you go into politics that you think you can change and you struggle with and there are others that absolutely you can make the difference.
"I think that is my priority - to find those areas where you can fundamentally make a difference."
He added that his focus would be on ensuring constituents receive necessary support and on advancing the Scottish economy.
The vote counts for the southern seats were conducted in Kelso and Dumfries.
