Ryan Leef will be the first Conservative member of Parliament for the Yukon since the 29-year reign by the late Erik Nielsen ended with his retirement in 1987.

Though Leef never once trailed as the local poll results began coming in shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, he also spent the evening never more than a nose ahead of incumbent Liberal MP Larry Bagnell.

And with just one poll still waiting to report somewhere around 11 p.m., Leef was perched on a 168-vote lead.

But he refused to accept victory while a shred of uncertainty remained, as small a shred as it seemed to everyone else bubbling about.

"I've run marathons and I've seen how things can change in the last mile,” said Leef, surrounded by family and supporters as the mystery of the single poll continued.

Not until Bagnell showed up to offer his congratulations did the 37-year-old rookie seem to accept his new role as the territory's elected representative in the nation's capital.

Leef thanked Bagnell for his 10 years in office, and promised he would maintain a relationship with all three political challengers to ensure his work in Ottawa is on behalf of all Yukoners, regardless of political stripe.

In turn, the veteran MP praised both Leef and his campaign team, and then grabbed Leef's hand and raised it in victory.

When the final tally arrived with all 101 polling stations accounted, nothing did change, and Leef ended the night with 5,422 votes, or 132 votes ahead of Bagnell.

Green Party candidate John Streicker repeated his third-place finish with 3,037 votes, and NDP candidate Kevin Barr finished fourth with 2,308 votes.

Leef finished the night with 33.8 per cent of the popular vote, compared to 32.9 for Bagnell, 18.9 for Streicker and 14.4 for Barr.

Of the 23,673 eligible voters, not including those sworn in at the polls, 16,057 or 67.8 per cent cast ballots, making the Yukon among the top ridings in Canada for voter turn-out.

"I just want to say congratulations Yukon, congratulations Yukon, congratulations Canada,” Leef told a jubilant gathering of Tory faithful tickled by both the local and national success of the Conservative Party.

"It has been quite an experience. I said early along the way I did not want this feeling to end because I've certainly learned more in the last 35 days of our home in the Yukon than I have in 37 years and I am happy I took that on.”

Leef also acknowledged what he described as a relentless effort by his campaign team.

"I must congratulate all of you for working hard and focusing on the what we needed to do.”

Conservative Senator Dan Lang said Leef will make an excellent MP.

He's a quick study who brings dedication to whatever he does, as evidenced by his success as an elite athlete and through his variety of career experiences, the senator said.

"He will be a great member of Parliament,” Lang said when the writing was on the wall in his mind. "We are going to be very proud of him, and the Yukon will be very proud of him.”

The senator suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper's commitment to the North over the years was probably a factor in the resurgence of the Conservative vote here Monday, however big or small.

But Leef certainly entered the campaign with a wallet full of his own credentials, he emphasized.

Lang said having a fellow Tory in Ottawa will make his job a little easier.

"The reality now is we are both in the same dressing room, with a blue jersey.”

Campaign manager Michael Laurer said he and his candidate understood from the start they could unseat the seemingly indestructible stronghold Bagnell had developed on the Yukon electorate over the last decade.

The knew they had the Larry-is-everywhere legend to deal with, but could see clearly by the numbers it was possible, he said.

Laurer said he knew they could win if they pulled 35 per cent of the popular vote, along with what he expected to be an increase in the vote for the NDP and Green Party.

"So we finished tonight with 34 per cent,” he said. "We knew we could do it.

"We needed to do the work, and we needed some help from the NDP and Green Party, and we got it.”

Laurer estimates of the $86,000 candidates are allowed to spend on their campaigns, Leef's effort probably came in between $78,000 and $80,000.

Ross Leef, Ryan's dad, was also citing the swing vote as the unknown factor early in the evening, even before the first local poll results were posted.

As the Liberal demise nationally unfolded on TV at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre, Ross hinted if the same happened here, the votes would have to go somewhere and there'd likely be voters uncomfortable with turning left.

"I just don't know,” said the dad. "I think it's going to be close.

"I have to be proud of him just for stepping forward,” he said. "This is not some place I'd throw my hat.”

Seconds later, at 7:40, an applause erupted throughout the room as national pundits declared a Harper majority.

It would still be hours before Leef officially adorned his new status, but all the while he maintained the lead, amid a crowd of supporters bubbling with optimism.

The lone laptop computer in the room quickly became the centre of attraction for those without smart phones, with Leef leading Bagnell by 189 votes, or 1,845 to 1,656 with 45 polls of 101 reporting.

At 75 of 101, the Conservative candidate had stretched his lead to 247 votes, and then by 306 votes with 82 polls in.

But with 100 of 101 polls counted, Leef's lead had slipped back down to 168 votes.

He was calm, indicating it was now in the hands of the electorate, that he'd done all that he could.

On Sunday night, after the last full day of campaigning, he had his first good night's sleep since the race started.

Even after a slight gaffe, when he inadvertently joked about Northwestel Inc.'s service live on CBC radio, he chuckled.

"Well, it didn't take me long to stick my foot in my mouth.”

Leef said from the beginning, he understood the importance of running a campaign, but most importantly finishing with a strong kick.

"It's good to see the shift in interest this country has shown,” he said. "I'm glad to be a part of it.”

And part of it he is.

Once an RCMP officer, big game outfitter, conservation officer and now supervisor at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre, Leef can add member of Parliament to the résumé, should he ever need one again. Nielsen didn't.

"I knew that stepping into this, that stepping into public life would mean sacrificing private life,” the victor said in an interview. "This is really going to be a change for me but I am looking forward to it.”

It's a change many were looking for last night as supporter after supporter held out an even brighter future for Canada now that that Conservatives have a majority.

"We do not want another election in two years,” said Louise Fedoriak. "And Stephen Harper is doing a very good job, and he needs a majority government to in order to do the job.

"I'm very happy.”

So too is Shirley Ford, who admits she was somewhat apprehensive at the beginning, not knowing much of their candidate. As the campaign wore on, what she saw in Leef she liked.

A lot of people would have you believe Leef was just a cage fighter, she said.

"He is much more than that,” said Ford. "He really understands Conservative values, which is less government, less taxes and family values.

"I think he is going to be a pretty good guy, because when he talks about something, he talks from the heart and he knows what Conservatives stand for.”

And as a Harper fan, said Ford, she couldn't be happier with the national results.

Craig Tuton, the Yukon Party campaign manager in the last territorial election, expects last night's federal results will add right-wing punch to the upcoming territorial election, which has to be called by Oct. 14.

Yukoners, he believes, are comfortable with the way the Yukon has been governed over the last few years, and they recognize how the prime minister has gotten the territory and the country through the recession.

With a majority Conservative government in Ottawa, the Yukon is in a good spot right now, and come the next territorial election, he expects voters will want to stay there.