Mike Thornton is off to U.K. Parliament after winning a by-election that saw the Conservative candidate pushed back to third place. Thornton has been a local parish and borough councillor since 2007.

Here's a look at his NationBuilder site:

More on the race from the BBC and the Guardian:

Lib Dems hold on despite UKIP surge

10 things we've learned from the Eastleigh byelection