# Bridgend (Senedd constituency)

Bridgend (Welsh: Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a constituency of the Senedd. It elects one Member of the Senedd by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of seven constituencies in the South Wales West electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to seven constituency members, to produce a degree of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

## History

Bridgend can be considered a relatively safe Labour seat. The former First Minister Carwyn Jones had represented the constituency since the creation of the assembly until 2021. The former Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns contested the seat in 1999 and 2003.

## Boundaries

The constituency was created for the first election to the Assembly, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of the Bridgend Westminster constituency. It is partly within the preserved county of Mid Glamorgan and partly within the preserved county of South Glamorgan.
The other six constituencies of the region are Aberavon, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Swansea East and Swansea West.

## Voting

In general elections for the Senedd, each voter has two votes. The first vote may be used to vote for a candidate to become the Member of the Senedd for the voter's constituency, elected by the first past the post system. The second vote may be used to vote for a regional closed party list of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the d'Hondt method, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation.

## Members of the Senedd

Between 1999 and 2021, the member for the constituency was Carwyn Jones, who became First Minister of Wales in 2009 and served until 2018. In 2021, Sarah Murphy became the MS.
| Election | Election | Member | Party | Portrait |
| | 1999 | Carwyn Jones | Labour | |
| | 2021 | Sarah Murphy | Labour | |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

2021 Senedd election: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sarah Murphy | 12,388 | 42.0 | -3.3 | 11,439 | 38.8 | +2.5 |
| | Conservative | Rachel Nugent-Finn | 8,324 | 28.3 | +3.9 | 8,712 | 29.5 | +6.9 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Leanne Lewis | 3,091 | 10.5 | +0.9 | 4,006 | 13.6 | +1.0 |
| | Independent | Steven Bletsoe | 3,046 | 10.3 | New | | | |
| | Independent | Caroline Jones | 1,064 | 3.6 | New | 822 | 2.8 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Harvey Jones | 782 | 2.7 | -1.3 | 792 | 2.7 | -3.0 |
| | Reform UK | Christine Roach | 534 | 1.8 | New | 298 | 1.0 | New |
| | Gwlad | Geraint David Jones | 232 | 0.8 | New | 245 | 0.8 | New |
| | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | 1,258 | 4.3 | -0.5 |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 1,119 | 3.8 | +1.1 |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 381 | 1.3 | -12.9 |
| | Propel | Propel | Propel | Propel | Propel | 193 | 0.7 | New |
| | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | Freedom Alliance (UK) | 150 | 0.5 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 65 | 0.2 | ±0.0 |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 27 | 0.1 | -0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,064 | 13.7 | −7.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,461 | 45.01 | +0.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
| Notes ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency |||||||||
Regional Ballot void votes: 182. Want of an Official Mark (2), Voting for more than ONE party or individual candidate (48), Writing or mark by which the Voter could be identified (1), Unmarked or Void for uncertainty (131)

### Elections in the 2010s

Welsh Assembly Election 2016: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Carwyn Jones | 12,166 | 45.3 | −10.9 | 9,724 | 36.3 | -9.3 |
| | Conservative | George Jabbour | 6,543 | 24.4 | −3.6 | 6,043 | 22.6 | -3.8 |
| | UKIP | Caroline Jones | 3,919 | 14.6 | New | 3,804 | 14.2 | +11.1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | James Radcliffe | 2,569 | 9.6 | +1.0 | 3,375 | 12.6 | +2.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Pratt | 1,087 | 4.0 | −3.2 | 1,519 | 5.7 | -0.9 |
| | Green | Charlie Barlow | 567 | 2.1 | New | 712 | 2.7 | +1.2 |
| | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | Abolish | 1,293 | 4.8 | New |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | Monster Raving Loony | 173 | 0.6 | New |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 87 | 0.3 | -0.1 |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 65 | 0.2 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,623 | 20.9 | −7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 26,851 | 44.6 | +3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.6 | |
Welsh Assembly Election 2011: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Carwyn Jones | 13,499 | 56.2 | +15.9 | 10,671 | 45.6 | |
| | Conservative | Alex Williams | 6,724 | 28.0 | −1.9 | 6,184 | 26.4 | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Tim Thomas | 2,706 | 8.6 | −6.1 | 2,281 | 9.7 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Briony Davies | 1,736 | 7.2 | −8.0 | 1,536 | 6.6 | |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 719 | 3.1 | |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 669 | 2.9 | |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 627 | 2.7 | |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 340 | 1.5 | |
| | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | 256 | 1.1 | New |
| | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | TUSC | 86 | 0.4 | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 58 | 0.2 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,775 | 28.2 | +17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,035 | 40.8 | −0.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +8.9 | |
Regional ballots rejected: 195

### Elections in the 2000s

Welsh Assembly Election 2007: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Carwyn Jones | 9,889 | 40.3 | −2.5 | 7,727 | | |
| | Conservative | Emma L. Greenow | 7,333 | 29.9 | −2.0 | 5,793 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Warren | 3,730 | 15.2 | +1.7 | 3,754 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Nick H. Thomas | 3,600 | 14.7 | +5.9 | 2,837 | | |
| | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | BNP | 1,284 | | New |
| | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | UKIP | 1,021 | | |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 845 | | |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 302 | 0. | New |
| | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | Welsh Christian | 271 | | New |
| | Socialist Alternative (UK) | Socialist Alternative (UK) | Socialist Alternative (UK) | Socialist Alternative (UK) | Socialist Alternative (UK) | 135 | | New |
| | Keith James - Independent | Keith James - Independent | Keith James - Independent | Keith James - Independent | Keith James - Independent | 239 | | New |
| | CPA | CPA | CPA | CPA | CPA | 92 | 0. | New |
| | Respect | Respect | Respect | Respect | Respect | 77 | 0. | New |
| | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | Communist | 75 | 0. | New |
| | Joel Jenkins - Independent | Joel Jenkins - Independent | Joel Jenkins - Independent | Joel Jenkins - Independent | Joel Jenkins - Independent | 63 | 0. | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,556 | 10.4 | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 24,552 | 41.2 | +5.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.25 | |
Welsh Assembly Election 2003: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Constituency | Constituency | Constituency | Regional | Regional | Regional |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Carwyn Jones | 9,487 | 42.8 | +5.6 | 7,790 | | |
| | Conservative | Alun Cairns | 7,066 | 31.9 | +11.7 | 6,470 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Cheryl A. Green | 2,980 | 13.5 | −2.1 | 2,863 | | |
| | Plaid Cymru | Keith Parry | 1,939 | 8.8 | −10.9 | 2,608 | | |
| | UKIP | Tim C. Jenkins | 677 | 3.1 | New | 713 | | |
| | Green | Green | Green | Green | Green | 901 | | |
| | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | Socialist Labour | 370 | | |
| | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | Cymru Annibynnol | 181 | | |
| | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | ProLife Alliance | 50 | 0. | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,421 | 10.9 | −6.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 22,113 | 35.4 | −6.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −3.1 | |
2003 Electorate: 62,540 Regional ballots rejected: 319

### Elections in the 1990s

Welsh Assembly Election 1999: Bridgend :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Carwyn Jones | 9,321 | 37.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Alun Cairns | 5,063 | 20.2 | N/A |
| | Plaid Cymru | Jeff R. Canning | 4,919 | 19.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rob O. Humphreys | 3,910 | 15.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Allan Jones | 1,819 | 7.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,258 | 17.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 25,032 | 41.6 | N/A |
| | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) | Labour win (new seat) |