LABOR candidate Sarah Elliott admitted on Saturday she was frustrated with her party's late start to its campaign in Calare.
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A midwife and mother of five, Ms Elliott spent Saturday afternoon campaigning in Orange before heading back home to Lithgow where she planned to have quiet meal at the Lithgow Workmens Club with supporters.
Ms Elliott said her first political campaign had taught her an enormous amount but she conceded Calare was out of Labor's reach, this time.
"We were very disappointed, I have to say extremely disappointed," she said, referring to the lateness of her official endorsement from the ALP, which came on April 21, almost two weeks after the election date of May 21 had been announced by PM Scott Morrison.
It also gave her five rivals weeks' head-start on campaigning.
"A lot of people said we wouldn't blame you if you walked away but I signed up for it, it quit my job for it," she said.
"We've just been so robbed of campaign time but we'll hit the ground and fly the flag."
Ms Elliott said she believed Labor had thrown the majority of its resources at margin seats but wouldn't be drawn on that being a sign the party felt Calare was a lost cause.
"Out of frustration I did say, "you can easily lose a marginal seat but gain a long-shot in its place if you just gave us a bit more time," she said.
She said her objective was to reduce the margin The Nationals enjoyed in Calare and hopefully improve on, or at worst equal the result of 2019 candidate Jess Jennings, who gained 23 per cent of the primary vote.
Ms Elliott also felt there was a change in demographic in Calare and would consider running in 2025, or throwing her hat into the ring for the State Election next year.
"There is a really bit of an unknown. We had that really big [influx] of tree-changers during COVID, so I think the voting demographics are actually a bit different.
"I'd consider a state tilt but I'd rather support someone else who wants to stand up," she said.
One Nation candidate Stacey Whittaker, from Bathurst, chose Anson Street Public School in Orange to spend her last morning on the campaign trail.
She says she's unsure of what to expect when the count begins after 6pm tonight.
"It is very hard to say. I think we will certainly narrow the margin Mr Gee has held in the past which is good. It may give him a bit of a wake up call. People in the Calare region want a people who represent them."
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