Elaine, pictured above right with Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, will be defending her 3170 majority, the largest Scottish Labour majority at the 2011 election.
She has been an MSP since the Scottish Parliament was created in 1999, firstly for Dumfries which then became the Dumfriesshire constituency four years ago. And she increased her percentage share of the vote in both the 2003 and the 2007 elections.
Elaine is currently the Shadow Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, and has held posts including Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, Enterprise spokesperson and Shadow Minister for the Environment.
She said: “I’m absolutely delighted and proud to have been re-selected by local party members and affiliated organisations in Dumfriesshire to fight this seat for Scottish Labour and for local people next year. This community means so much to me – that’s why I’ll be campaigning for real change and offering up alternatives to damaging UK and Scottish Government cuts and neglect.
“I’ve never had an easy election ride in this area, and fellow party members and I are fully geared up for what we know will be a particularly heated contest next year. However I’m confident that our campaign for true local policing, for increased patient and staff support in our NHS, for an education system that works for all, and for an end to centralisation will win through.”
Congratulating her, Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale added: “Her passion to make our country a fairer place to live is remarkable and her dedication to her constituents in Dumfriesshire is unmatched.
“Dumfriesshire needs someone like Elaine who will stand up for working families, someone whose focus is on closing the gap between the richest and the rest.”
