TORONTO — Olivia Chow's long-distance relationship is finally over.

The wife of New Democrat Leader Jack Layton was third-time lucky in her bid to win a seat for the party in Toronto and finally join her husband on Parliament Hill.

Layton was easily re-elected in the Toronto-Danforth riding, but Chow had to wait until late into the evening to confirm she had fought off longtime Liberal incumbent Tony Ianno in the city's ethnically diverse Trinity-Spadina riding.

Cheers erupted at an NDP celebration in Toronto after Chow was declared victorious by television networks.

Layton, 55, and Chow, 48, become the Commons' second husband-and-wife team.

A jubilant Chow delighted the crowd moments after the declaration, thanking her "force'' of supporters. NDP officials said earlier Monday night that Chow had nearly 1,000 volunteers working feverishly to send her to Ottawa.

"I will work with you to get results for the things that we all care about,'' she said.

Chow acknowledged her campaign made national headlines because she was married to Layton, but said their double victory was about more than their relationship.

"This election day is not about us _ even though I am very, very happy that we will be working together again,'' she said.

The NDP predicted a win for Chow in 2004, but on the last weekend before election day, the Liberals lured soft NDP supporters to Ianno's side by warning of a Conservative government under Stephen Harper. The Liberals employed the same strategy before Monday's vote.

The uncertainty about Chow was a concern earlier Monday night for NDP supporters who were otherwise in a jubilant mood. They cheered loudly every time Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page, the event's master of ceremonies, declared an NDP victory in Canada.

Chow married Layton in 1988 when he was a Toronto city councillor and she was a school trustee. She joined him on city council in 1991 and continued there after Layton jumped to federal politics as NDP leader in 2003.

The two come from vastly different backgrounds. Layton, a former university professor, is a native of Hudson, Que. Chow immigrated to Canada from her native Hong Kong when she was 13.

The two aren't afraid to show their affection for each other in public, sharing kisses along the campaign trail and musing about their relationship.

On the campaign trail, Layton once said his ideal recipe for romance consisted of a bicycle built for two, a picnic basket and a bottle of wine.

The NDP leader told a Toronto radio host during the campaign that if he had a choice between a shower or bath, he'd choose to shower _ "preferably with Olivia!''

In an interview at MuchMusic, Layton did his best political dodge around the question of whether he'd prefer to share time with Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston. His politically safe answer was neither: it would be Chow, of course.

But it was a tough and sometimes dirty campaign for Chow, lowlighted by a federal Liberal's blog that compared her to a chow chow dog. Layton condemned the comment as "racist.''

The writer -- Michael Klander, executive vice-president of the federal Liberals' Ontario wing -- resigned and the blog was removed.

Chow said she barely saw her husband during the last two weeks of the campaign as Layton travelled from Halifax to Vancouver. She said she wanted to spend more time in her own riding compared to 2004, when she frequently travelled across the country alongside Layton.

They'll hope for a longer stay in Parliament than the brief stint of the Commons' first husband-wife combo.

Gurmant and Nina Grewal joined Parliament as Conservative MPs in adjacent B.C. ridings in 2004. Gurmant decided not to seek re-election, months after alleging senior Liberals offered him and his wife appointments if they crossed the floor before a crucial budget vote. The allegations were never proven.

Nina Grewal, however, sought re-election Monday night in her Fleetwood-Port Kells riding.

The biggest test for Chow will be getting used to partisan politics, said Marilyn Churley, a former Toronto city council colleague of both Chow and Layton who lost her bid for a federal NDP seat Monday.

"The advice is, get used to more partisanship, a lot more gamesmanship,'' Churley said. "But Olivia is one of the best -- she's just so skilled and such an experienced politician.''

Married political couples have to juggle personal and public lives and must try not to take work home with them all the time, said Shelley Martel, an Ontario NDP MPP and wife of provincial NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

"That has been challenging for us -- making sure that we carve out good, quality family time,'' Martel said.