We selected candidates early to give them time to prove themselves as community leaders. Our two constituency associations worked well together. But it was the Lib Dems failure to deliver that gave us the opportunity to win.
Tory voters on the Devon coast show no sign of being worried by the manifesto muddle, nor is there a Liberal Democrat revival.
We open a ConservativeHome series, which will run each Monday during the election campaign, on the key contests in each region
We continue our post-match inspection of our battleground profiles with the Liberal Democrat graveyard of the South West.
The battlegrounds show a mix of results. But UKIP is down across the board.
The second piece in our series explores the intense struggles across the South West of England.
The Government has heard the message, and is dropping the mayoral requirement for rural counties seeking increased devolved power.