Thursday evening's title card event may have been the showdown between the three main political party leaders, but the 2022 Ontario election had another Ford in the running.

The re-elected premier's nephew and now-former Toronto city councillor Michael Ford squared off for a seat in the provincial legislature as a PC against an NDP incumbent in Toronto's York South-Weston riding, and there's now one more Ford holding provincial power.

It was a reasonably close battle for the riding in Toronto's west end, the 28-year-old Ford facing off against NDP incumbent Faisal Hassan.

Hassan unseated the former Liberal incumbent in the riding back in 2018, part of a disastrous showing for the Liberals in the previous general election that cost it official party status.

It was almost a complete reversal of the 2018 results for the riding, where Faisal Hassan won with 36.1 per cent over PC candidate Mark DeMontis' 33 per cent

The 2022 results had Ford winning 36.6 per cent versus Hassan's 34 per cent.

With Michael Ford taking the seat for the PCs, York South-Weston becomes a rare example of a single riding being represented by all three major parties within the last decade.

Born in 1994 (it feels weird saying that about a politician) Ford rose to prominence during the 2014 municipal election, dropping out of the race for Ward 2 Etobicoke North when his uncle and then-mayor Rob Ford was diagnosed with cancer, letting the elder Ford run in his place.

Michael Ford, born Michael Stirpe (no, not Stipe) before changing his surname in time for the 2014 election, would serve two years as a Toronto District School Board trustee for Ward 1 Etobicoke North.

When Rob Ford died in 2016, a by-election was held, and Michael Ford easily won a council seat in Ward 2, later re-elected to the adjusted Ward 1 Etobicoke North after his premier uncle slashed council size in an apparent vendetta.

In April, he announced his intention to run for a seat in provincial parliament, running as a PC candidate, his choice in political affiliation surprising absolutely nobody familiar with Toronto and Ontario politics.

He may be a PC, but Michael Ford has at times taken stances that don't wholly align with his uncles, including appearing at Toronto Pride and occasionally voting in favour of progressive policies as a member of city council.