[4] A longtime NDP supporter, MacDonald first attempted to enter provincial politics in the 1988 election, finishing third in the Cape Breton-The Lakes riding behind Liberal Bernie Boudreau and Progressive Conservative incumbent John Newell.
[5] She ran again in the 1993 election, losing to Boudreau by more than 5200 votes, while edging out the Progressive Conservative candidate to finish second.
[7] On November 4, 1997, MacDonald won the by-election by 672 votes, becoming the first provincial New Democrat elected from Cape Breton since 1978.
[12][13] On March 22, 2000, MacDonald announced that she was entering the race to replace Robert Chisholm as leader of the Nova Scotia New Democrats.
[18] In October 2000, MacDonald announced that she would run in the Cape Breton North riding when a by-election was held to replace former Liberal premier Russell MacLellan.