As the dust settles
![ed celebrates](/fileadmin/_processed_/7/4/csm_aaqaa_76e991a6d9.jpg)
Having had a bit of time to rest up after an exhausting campaign it is still too early to fully analyse the campaign and the lessons it has for the future.
Nationally the campaign was a triumph for the Liberal Democrats with 64 seats gained and a record 72 MPs in Parliament. The message that we heard continuously on the doorstep that people wanted change was played out across the country as voters got behind the party most likely to defeat the Tories
Locally these same influences came to bear with tactical voting sites telling those who wanted the Tory incumbent out to vote for Labour even though the party has almost no local council representation and had made it clear they did not see South Suffolk as a priority target.
In Tom Bartleet we had an energetic and active campaigner. We ran our biggest, most visible campaign in years. In that process we spoke to thousands of voters and received a very warm welcome on the doorsteps. We managed to resist the tactical squeeze seen elsewhere and recorded the best Liberal Democrat result in Suffolk.
The campaign also showed we still have work to do to further build our local party ready for County Council elections next year.
If you have any observations or comments about our campaign we would love to hear from you at hello@southsuffolklibdems.org.uk
Even better if you would like to help us maintain our campaigning momentum contact us at hello@southsuffolklibdems.org.uk or join us at Join the Liberal Democrats (salesforce-sites.com)