Tracey Ramsey says that when it comes down to it, the voters of Essex wanted to see change and they did not want to see any more of what the Conservatives had offered them from Ottawa.

That force helped propel Ramsey to a hard-fought victory in the riding, which saw her defeat four-term Conservative incumbent Jeff Watson.

"The working class down here has really suffered under the Harper government and so we're really pleased this morning to see that those results have changed down here in Essex," she told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning on Tuesday, hours after her victory at the polls.

"They know they will have a fighter in me and that I will stand up for the people."

A similar trend was evident at polls across much of Canada, as the previously governing Conservatives lost dozens of seats on election night. But that wave of change worked in favour of the Liberals who will now form a majority government.

The New Democrats now form the third-party in Parliament, with Ramsey joining their ranks, alongside two other local members who won their races last night. Long-time incumbent Brian Masse was re-elected in Windsor West and Cheryl Hardcastle picked up the seat in Windsor Tecumseh for the party.

Hardcastle and Ramsey will both become first-time MPs.

"There was a force for change [among voters], particularly in Essex, and people wanted a new style of politics and so again, you know, that is the values of the New Democrats and so that resonates with people," Ramsey said.

In Essex, Ramsey ended up taking 41.4 per cent of the valid ballots that were cast, putting her ahead of Watson at 35.7 per cent, as well as Liberal candidate Audrey Festeryga, who took a little bit more than one-fifth of the vote.

Green Party candidate Jennifer Alderson collected just under two per cent of the vote, while Marxist-Leninist candidate Enver Villamizar won about 0.1 per cent of the vote.

With three New Democrat members elected to the Windsor-Essex ridings, the region will not have any representatives who are part of either the government or the Official Opposition.

Ramsey, an autoworker who lives in Puce, acknowledged the contribution of the labour community to her own victory.

"I received an incredible amount of support from people that I've been working with for many, many years," she said.

Chris Taylor, the president of Unifor Local 200, said his union was thrilled to see one of its own elected into Parliament.

"She's been an activist from day one, she worked extremely hard on this campaign and she deserves every bit of the honour and the glory that goes with it, she did this," he told CBC News on election night.

During the 78-day election campaign, several rallies involving labour groups targeted Watson and called for his ouster at the polls. New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair made two visits to the riding since the summer and took direct aim at Watson.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Watson said that voters made their preferences known for a change in direction both in Essex and across the country.

"Last night, the people of Essex and across Canada spoke. The message was loud and clear: change," Watson said in the statement, which was posted to Facebook on Tuesday morning.

He offered his congratulations to Ramsey and also to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who is now the prime minister-designate.

"I want to thank the people of Essex for the privilege of serving them for more than 11 years. It has been my honour. I respect your verdict," Watson said in the statement.

Festeryga tweeted a congratulatory message on Tuesday, saying that she and her team offered Ramsey their goodwill and support "in her efforts to restore prosperity to Essex."