Alexander Downer says daughter Georgina has a future in politics, after Mayo loss

Ex-Liberal leader Alexander Downer says his daughter Georgina has a great political future, in the wake of her loss to Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie.

Unsuccessful Mayo candidate Georgina Downer, with her father, Alexander Downer. Picture: AAP / Kelly Barnes

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Former federal Liberal leader Alexander Downer has expressed his pride at daughter Georgina’s effort in his former seat of Mayo and declared she has a great political future.

Speaking to The Advertiser after her loss to Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, Mr Downer also congratulated his former staffers Josh Frydenberg and Greg Hunt on “smoking” opponents.

Mr Downer said he was “cautiously optimistic” another of his former staffers, Dave Sharma, would defeat independent Kerryn Phelps in the Sydney seat of Wentworth, previously held by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Senior South Australian Liberals were pessimistic about Ms Downer’s political future, having been defeated by Ms Sharkie at a by-election last July and again at Saturday’s poll.

Mr Downer, who held Mayo for 24 years, indicated his daughter was likely to seek to continue in politics.

“I was proud of the enormous amount of work Georgina did and she has a great future,” he said.

“For all of us, what’s much more important is the victory by the Liberals nationwide. We cannot hide our excitement.”

Mr Downer did not say where his daughter might seek to further her political career.

Ms Downer returned to live in Mayo, in which she grew up, ahead of the by-election, having lost a preselection battle in the blue-ribbon Melbourne seat of Goldstein ahead of the 2016 election.

Labor spearheaded a campaign to portray her as a blow-in seeking to capitalise on her family’s political dynasty, which dates back to her great-grandfather Sir John Downer — twice South Australian premier and a Senator in the first Australian parliament.