THEY were pipped at the post in this week's two East Riding Council by-elections.
But the inevitable question now being asked following UKIP's showing elsewhere is whether Nigel Farage's party can make similar gains in this part of the world when voters next return to the polls.
Not surprisingly, UKIP regional chairman Mike Hookem is confident they can.
Speaking after his party came a close second to the Conservatives in both Mid-Holderness and Howdenshire, he said: "They were both seen as safe Tory seats but we took them to the wire.
"Despite not winning in Mid-Holderness, where we had high hopes, they were good results."
The Hull-based activist says he is not surprised that voters are switching their allegiances away from the traditional "big three" political parties.
He said: "People don't trust them anymore, it's as simple as that.
"Look at David Cameron. He sees us going up in the polls and suddenly announces a referendum on Europe.
"Does anyone believe he will go ahead with that referendum? Of course they don't because he changes his policies like someone changes their trousers."
Mr Hookem cites a barrage of hostile anti-UKIP stories in the national newspapers during the run-up to this week's elections as evidence of the panic spreading through the ranks of the mainstream political parties.
He said: "It was obvious what was going on.
"They were trying to come up with a lot of dirt, hoping some of it would stick.
"Well, they have found that people aren't interested in what someone might have said on Facebook five years ago."
As a former East Riding Conservative councillor, Gary Shores came closest to embarrassing his old party by coming within 84 votes of beating Skirlaugh farmer and ex-East Riding High Sheriff John Holtby in Mid-Holderness.
He said: "With UKIP coming a very close second and Labour a distant third, this is a fantastic result for us.
"It was by no means a thumping victory or an approval of the Tory-led council or their policies.
"The ward has been a three-seat Tory ward for six years and in 2011, UKIP didn't contest it. So, from a cold start, this clearly illustrates the electorate's support for UKIP policies and their lingering memory and distrust of Labour.
"On behalf of UKIP, I would like to thank everyone who voted for and supported me."
A first-time Tory candidate, Mr Holtby looked relieved to have squeezed home after a nerve- shredding recount of the votes.
He said: "It was very close but I will endeavour to do as much as I can to make sure I represent the people in the ward as well as I can on the council."
Fellow Conservative Victoria Aitken had a slightly easier ride, securing the Howdenshire seat with a 313-vote majority over second- placed UKIP challenger Clive Waddington.
She said: "It was a very nice, clean campaign. There were no fallings out and plenty shaking of hands.
"It's a very positive move forward for me and I hope to be able to put as much effort as possible into working for all the villages in Howdenshire."
However, Mr Waddington's 1,260-vote haul also delighted UKIP supporters gathered at the count in Beverley Leisure Centre.
As in mid-Holderness, the party had not even fielded a candidate in the ward in the last all-out East Riding elections three years ago.
The two contests were triggered by the resignation of new police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove and his deputy Paul Robinson, who had both been re-elected as Conservative councillors three years ago.
The results left several Conservatives sighing with relief that the next council elections are still two years away when they will be held on the same day as the next General Election.
Tory group leader Councillor Stephen Parnaby said: "This seems like a protest vote but you do tend to get that halfway through a parliament.
"I am still delighted we have won both seats with good candidates."
A more immediate date being scribbled into UKIP calendars is May 22 next year when the European elections are expected to coincide with the resumption of council elections in Hull following a break this year.
For while the party's council seat gains across the country this week were making headlines, it all really began in Hull back in 2004 when John Cornforth became Britain's first UKIP councillor when he won a seat in the Derringham ward.
Mr Hookem believes his party's current momentum could well see that result being repeated in more than just one ward.
Last year, UKIP finished second in three of the nine wards they contested in Hull.
But with Europe firmly on the agenda in 12 months' time thanks the cross-continent elections, it could really be a watershed moment for the likes of Mr Farage, regional MEP Godfrey Bloom and Mr Hookem.
"Why shouldn't we win a seat or two in Hull?," Mr Hookem says.
"Look what has happened down the road in Lincolnshire where we have won 16 seats, forcing the Conservatives to lose overall control of the council.
"People are starting to realise we are a serious proposition.
"The Liberal Democrats seem finished. Even their own supporters have given up on them and Labour don't seem to know what to do in opposition.
"It wouldn't surprise me if we went into the next General Election with three different party leaders for the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems because they are all in a bit of a mess."
