The most visible Liberal politician in the Hunter, regional parliamentary secretary Scot MacDonald, has decided not to run in the seats of Maitland or Newcastle in the March state election.
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Mr MacDonald confirmed on Monday morning that he would not challenge Labor’s Jenny Aitchison in Maitland nor Tim Crakanthorp in Newcastle.
Uncertainty over Mr MacDonald’s candidacy was causing growing disquiet in party ranks in the Hunter.
A senior member of the party’s Charlestown branch posted an abusive comment about Mr MacDonald on Facebook on Friday in response to a media report in which the MLC said he was still “tossing up” whether to run.
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A source told the Newcastle Herald that other potential candidates for Maitland were growing increasingly frustrated as Mr MacDonald weighed up whether to throw his hat in the ring.
The upper house MP from the New England town of Guyra appeared alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard at a sod-turning for the new Maitland Hospital at Metford last week, the kind of pre-election media event normally reserved for candidates.
Mr MacDonald lost out to fellow MP Catherine Cusack in a pre-selection battle last year for a winnable position on the Liberals’ upper house ticket.
The Herald understands his decision to not seek endorsement for a lower-house seat opens the way for the Liberals to announce young candidate Blake Keating as their nominee in Newcastle.
Several hopefuls are also waiting in the wings in Maitland, which Ms Aitchison won in 2015 and holds with a 13.8 per cent margin but has been by no means a rusted-on Labor seat.
The Liberals endorsed Jaimie Abbott last year to take on Labor’s Kate Washington in the marginal seat of Port Stephens but are yet to announce who is running in the Hunter’s other electorates.
HUNTER ELECTORATES
NEWCASTLE
Held by: Tim Crakanthorp (ALP)
Margin: 7.4%
History: Libs’ Tim Owen resigned in 2014 over ICAC scandal.
Liberal candidate: ?
CHARLESTOWN
Held by: Jodie Harrison (ALP)
Margin: 12.9%
History: Libs’ Andrew Cornwell resigned in 2014 over ICAC scandal.
Liberal candidate: ?
WALLSEND
Held by: Sonia Hornery (ALP)
Margin: 20.8%
History: Always Labor since seat was reformed in 1968.
Liberal candidate: ?
SWANSEA
Held by: Yasmin Catley (ALP)
Margin: 13%
History: Ms Catley won marginal Liberal seat in a landslide in 2015 after incumbent Garry Edwards was disendorsed over ICAC scandal.
Liberal candidate: ?
LAKE MACQUARIE
Held by: Greg Piper (Ind)
Margin: 10.7%
History: Held by Mr Piper since 2007.
Liberal candidate: ?
Labor candidate: Jo Smith
PORT STEPHENS
Held by: Kate Washington (ALP)
Margin: 4.7%
History: Two-term Libs incumbent Craig Baumann withdrew endorsement in 2015 over ICAC scandal.
Liberal candidate: Jaimie Abbott
MAITLAND
Held by: Jenny Aitchison (ALP)
Margin: 13.8%
History: Ms Aitchison won in a landslide in 2015 after retirement of Liberal incumbent Robyn Parker.
Liberal candidate: ?
CESSNOCK
Incumbent: Clayton Barr (ALP)
Margin: 22%
History: Labor since 1991, but was marginal before Mr Barr’s big win in 2015.
Liberal/National candidate: ?
UPPER HUNTER
Held by: Michael Johnsen (Nat)
Margin: 2.2%
History: Has never voted Labor but came close with Martin Rush last time. Mr Rush withdrew in January over an anonymous letter alleging an altercation with a female flatmate.
Labor candidate: Melanie Dagg