General election 2017: Wilson clear favourite in East Antrim
The DUP have picked up the lion’s share of the votes here at every election since 2005, and there is little reason to see that changing.
Incumbent Mr Wilson will be confident he can reclaim his seat in what is an overwhelmingly unionist constituency, which stretches from the shores of Belfast Lough to the rolling Glens of Antrim.
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Hide AdRoy Beggs Jr had tried and failed to reclaim his father’s seat back in 2015, and this time the UUP has given the mammoth task to newcomer John Stewart, who scored a shock victory in the recent Assembly election by winning a seat.
Alliance will once again be fielding Stewart Dickson, who managed to secure a solid 15% of the vote back in 2015.
UKIP candidate Noel Jordan, who polled a respectable 10.9% last time, is not contesting the seat and the party has not put forward anyone in his place.
Also standing is Mark Logan of the NI Conservatives – a party which registered just 549 votes in East Antrim back in 2015.
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Hide AdSinn Fein’s Oliver McMullan, the first republican to win an Assembly seat in East Antrim, is standing once again, despite losing his Assembly seat back in March.
But neither he nor the SDLP’s Margaret McKillop will be able to eat into Mr Wilson’s lead to any great extent. It is a virtual certainty that the DUP man will retain his seat in this bastion of unionism.
Candidates for 2017:
• Stewart Dickson, Alliance
• Mark Logan, Cons.
• Margaret McKillop, SDLP
• Oliver McMullan, Sinn Fein
• John Stewart, UUP
• Sammy Wilson, DUP
2015 general election:
Sammy Wilson (DUP): 12,103 (36.1%)
R Beggs (UUP): 6,308 (18.8%)
S Dickson (Alliance): 5,021 (15%)
N Jordan (UKIP): 3,660 (10.9%)
O McMullan (SF): 2,314 (6.9%)
R Wilson (TUV): 1,903 (5.7%)
M McKillop (SDLP): 1,639 (4.9%)
A Wilson (Cons.): 549 (1.6%)
Electorate: 62,811
Turnout: 33,688 (53.6%)
Combined unionist vote: 73.1%
2010 general election:
Sammy Wilson (DUP): 13,993 (45.9%)
Rodney McCune (Ulster Cons. and Unionists): 7,223 (23.7%)
G Lynch (Alliance) 3,377: (11.1%)
O McMullan (SF): 2,064 (6.8%)
J McCamphill (SDLP):
2,019 (6.6%)
S Morrison (TUV): 1,826 (6%)
Electorate: 60,204
Turnout: 30,640 (50.9%)
Combined unionist vote: 75.6%