EVEN though I said from the start that I was running to win, and campaigned full time once the election was called, I knew that unless a miracle happened, I had no chance this time of winning Montgomeryshire for Plaid Cymru. That’s why, for the sake of my own sanity, I set myself some realistic goals – to increase our number and percentage of votes, and to overtake Labour to claim third place. We achieved all three – and best of all, I can say that I played a role in the shock result that saw Lembit Opik lose what was regarded as one of the safest seats in Wales – the Portillo moment of the 2010 General Election.

It was a fascinating seat for a first time candidate. There was no pressure and no expectations so I could enjoy the experience. I had no idea what to expect of the campaign trail, and must admit I was slightly nervous before the first hustings (of many) about going up against two well-established and high profile politicians – Opik and Glyn Davies. Both are very different, and yet quite colourful and outspoken characters. Both are also well known in the county, and although my family roots are firmly in Montgomeryshire, I had never lived there before the campaign. So, from the start, I had some serious catching up to do if I was to convince the people of Montgomeryshire that it was worth supporting me.

As it turns out, the nerves soon faded and I started to look forward to every hustings. Glyn was far quieter than I’d expected, having been a regular reader of his blog. He played the role of the wise statesman who made common sense, non-controversial statements. A steady pair of hands that the people of Montgomeryshire could trust. Lembit, on the other hand, was extremely defensive, proclaiming in every hustings and in almost every leaflet that if people wanted someone perfect to represent them, then they’d have to wait for the Second Coming. This line did not go down well. He had a hard time from the audience in almost every hustings and – from what I hear – when he was canvassing. The level of anger towards him was palpable and it was clear from our own canvassing that he would have to fight for survival.

However, this is not to say that I thought Glyn was definitely going to win. It was always going to be close. Also, this was such a strange election. It was impossible to predict the impact Cleggmania was going to have on the vote and, to be honest, after the first leaders debate, I think that Glyn thought that Lembit had it in the bag. For the following week or so, he looked defeated. He’d worked for years to try and win this seat, and knew he was dependent on a huge swing if he was going to succeed. With the Lib Dems growing more popular by the day, you could see the hope fade in his eyes.

One of my own personal highlights from the campaign was our very own television debate from Montgomeryshire on BBC1 Wales. It was such a great experience, and the response afterwards was phenomenal. Earlier on the same day, we’d had a radio debate from the Welshpool Livestock Market during which I’d managed to rattle Lembit until he was shaking with anger. He was still annoyed that evening and, when the time came to question him live on air, I didn’t hold back. Neither did the audience. They wanted answers, and the fact that he remained defensive and non-apologetic probably cost him the election.

I was lucky as the local newspaper, the County Times, reported favourably on my performance and said that I’d been terrier-like in my approach. It certainly helped raise awareness about the Plaid campaign in Montgomeryshire, and gave me valuable name recognition. The poor Labour candidate, however, came out of it appallingly and seemed completely out of his depth. Although he seemed like a decent and pleasant man, it become evident that he was no debater and, worse, that he had no knowledge of the area.

Most of my time during the campaign was spent canvassing from door to door in every corner of the county. My campaign team was small, and we had very few resources. However, everyone really came together and I’m so grateful for all their support. Although we only managed to marginally increase the vote, I think that we laid some firm foundations for a far better result in the Assembly election, making Montgomeryshire a winnable seat for Plaid in the future. Our vote went up in the non-Welsh speaking areas close to the border, and now that we have made that breakthrough, this is something that we’ll need to build upon.

This was helped by the lovely weather which enabled us to focus our campaign on meeting and speaking to people. I even managed to burn my nose and pick up a tan during the campaign – my very own Machynlleth tan, as I like to call it – which was completely unexpected. I loved chatting to people, and finding out what they’d like to see me focus on if I was lucky enough to be elected as their MP. I had very few negative responses, and people seemed genuinely open to the ideas I was presenting. It was evident that people were concerned about the future of rural Wales, and the lack of opportunities for young people in the area. Green issues were also of interest to many, as was access to services such as public transport and broadband.

One of the weirdest things was getting used to seeing my name and picture up everywhere. One evening, we were sorting out my 32,000 election communications and it just seemed surreal to see my face on them. It was the first time I think that it hit me that I was fulfilling my childhood ambition of running for Parliament. Another funny thing was trying to win the poster war, and seeing which candidate could have the most signs up in fields. Childish perhaps, but it does give the campaign a boost if a lot of people are seen to be supporting you.

As resources were scarce, I devoted some of my time to running an online campaign as well. In many ways, I think this worked well, although it was quite time consuming. My website resulted in a number of emails and queries, and the video blogs were well received – although I was quite embarrassed by the still shots of some of them. There is no way to choose which still frame is used, and not all of them were flattering. But, given that it took a minimum of eight hours for each to upload to YouTube because of the poor internet connection where I was staying, I was hardly going to re-record them for vanity. Twitter and Facebook also proved to be valuable tools to communicate with constituents, organisations within the constituency and journalists, and I think it’s a shame that a number of other candidates seemed to give up on using them during the campaign. It definitely gives even more people the opportunity to question and communicate with you, and not just the youngsters either. The oldest person to email me was 88, and had a range of questions she wanted me to answer. She was too frail to come to any of the hustings, but still wanted to grill the candidates. So maybe the answer is internet debates in the future. Certainly, I think that new and old campaigning methods must be combined in the future by all candidates if we are serious about involving more people in politics.

On the night of the count, I felt remarkably calm. All I cared about was increasing the vote, and when it came apparent that we had succeeded, I was then able to enjoy watching the drama unfold between Lembit and Glyn. Both looked shell shocked, and I don’t think either had prepared for the result. Fair play to Glyn and his team – they downplayed the result and didn’t flaunt their victory. Lembit was also gracious in defeat, although I doubt he’ll disappear quietly. Certainly I believe that a number of Plaid supporters voted for Glyn in order to kick Lembit out. People feared that a vote for me might be a wasted one, and decided to support one of the frontrunners to ensure change in Montgomeryshire. And change is what was achieved. There is clearly a job of work to be done, and sooner rather than later. Mid Wales is in danger of becoming a museum unless some firm action is taken to develop the economy, and Glyn will have quite a challenge on his hands.

The one thing I’ve learnt from the experience is that no matter how hard you work, there is also an element of luck needed in order to win. I’ve also learned that you have to embrace the experience as a candidate. For a few weeks, your life is crazy and people want to know your views about everything. Then, once the winner has been declared, unless you happen to win, it’s back to normal. I would like to run again, but most probably for the Assembly rather than Westminster.

But certainly, my first ever campaign is something that I’ll always remember. It was quite a historic one to be a part of.