President of the Bathurst Branch, former senator and life member of the Labor Party Sue West said she was excited about her party's candidate for the May election but that's all she would give away while NSW State Director at Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party Tim Basily was similarly tight-lipped.

"There's a process all political parties go through with the preselection and endorsement of their candidates," Ms West said explaining several branches of the ALP were at a similar point.

"They will probably announce [candidates] at the same time," she said.

Three candidates gave themselves almost a month's campaigning head-start on the ALP and the SFF with Orange-based Independent Kate Hook leading the charge in the race to unseat The Nationals.

She was joined by Bathurst-based One Nation aspirant Stacey Whittaker and Wellington's Adam Jannis (United Australia) with February nominations.

Mr Basily said the SFF were keen to build on the foundation Member for Orange Phil Donato has carved out in the region since gaining a seat in the NSW Parliament but said the party was taking its time to find the right candidate.

"We're expecting in the next week or two [to announce a candidate]," Mr Basily said.

"It's just the process is taking a bit longer than we expected.

"In all honesty, a few things have popped up with Helen [Dalton, member for Murray] leaving and the Bega by-election and stuff like that, our resources have pretty much been diversified."

Ms Dalton, who also won her seat for the SFF at the state election, walked out on the party earlier this month to become an Independent after a falling out over water management.

While The Nationals member Andrew Gee maintained Calare for his party in the 2019 poll with 44.7 per cent of the vote (a 2.9 swing away), SFF candidate Sam Romano, from Orange, gained 17.4 per cent as the party's first candidate for Calare.

"Calare has always been on our map," Mr Basily said.

"Having Phil there as a state member, it's always going to have that impact to say that, if we have a Federal member in there, they'll be able to work with the state member and then we'll be able to work in unison and get things done for the area.

"It will always be on the map for us and always part of the plan.

"But it's the matter ... of the right candidate, we don't want a situation where we've got someone representing the party that doesn't stand for what we stand for."

Jess Jennings, now a member of Bathurst Regional Council, contested the last election for Calare as the Labor candidate, claiming 22.1 per cent of the vote, a 4.9 per cent swing away from the party.

However Ms West said the ALP should not be underestimated and called out disharmony within the Coalition, emphasised by Mr Gee, who is also the Minister for Veterans Affairs, threatening to resign from cabinet on Saturday morning over funding levels to help clean a backlog of 60,000 compensation claims.

"I don't think it's a very happy little team," Ms West mused.

"We're very keen to get the ball rolling. [Labor] will make the fifth candidate in the contest so democracy is alive and well out here."

Calare covers an area of 32,66 square kilometres, from Lithgow in the east to Eugowra in the west, Wellington and Mid-Western Regional Councils in the north to Blayney Shire Council and Oberon Council in the south.

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