The Herald this morning is reporting that the favourite for today’s Liberal preselection for the Bradfield by-election is communications executive Paul Fletcher. Liberal Party sources have also confirmed to me that number crunchers following the preselection believe Fletcher has the numbers to win.
Fletcher is not a Bradfield local and opponents have raised the spectre of his candidacy triggering a local backlash.
In other news, other Liberal preselections have also closed, with Concetta Fierravanti-Wells expected to safely win the #1 spot on the ticket with Bill Heffernan being challenged by Pfizer executive David Miles.
Dead-wood MPs Phillip Ruddock, Bronwyn Bishop, Alby Schultz and Pat Farmer have all renominated in their seats of Berowra, Mackellar, Hume and Macarthur respectively, although there are rumours that both Ruddock and Farmer may be challenged.
Update: Fletcher has now been preselected.
Fletcher wins preselection.
The “speed-dating” thing wasn’t a bad solution to the “too many candidates” problem the preselectors had.
I thought the ‘speed dating’ thing was usual practice for Liberal preselections – I’m sure I’ve read about it in the past.
Fletcher gets preselection. /yawn
Farmer renominated? Not sure why. Notionally Labor seat, Libs on the nose, distaste for his preference for Mosman living. He’ll be lucky to lose by 5 points.
http://www.tweednews.com.au/story/2009/09/28/contenders-warm-up-for-an-election-battle/
That’ll be the end of the Nats as the dominant Coalition party in Richmond if Joan van Lieshout is the Liberal candidate. She gained a surprising amount of public cred during her year as Tweed Shire Mayor – may very well reduce Justine Elliot’s margin by a percent or two as well.
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