Georgina Downer, Alexander Downer’s daughter, wins Liberal preselection for Mayo, will run against Rebekha Sharkie

GEORGINA Downer will seek to recapture her father’s former seat of Mayo for the Liberal Party after her candidacy was endorsed on Monday night when two rivals withdrew over citizenship issues.

• Rebekha Sharkie quits, forcing Mayo by-election
• ANALYSIS: Downer can’t count on her name winning Mayo

GEORGINA Downer will seek to recapture her father’s former seat of Mayo for the Liberal Party after her candidacy was endorsed on Monday night when two rivals withdrew over citizenship issues.

In a by-election expected in late July, Ms Downer will face off against former Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie, who herself quit over dual citizenship issues last week.

It is understood Ms Downer’s two rivals were found to have not properly renounced British and Canadian citizenships and, as such, had to withdraw from the race.

Georgina Downer has won preselection for the federal Adelaide Hills seat of Mayo, where a by-election will take place. Picture: Matt Turner

Ms Downer is expected to start campaigning on Tuesday with Jobs and Innovation Minister Michaelia Cash in the seat held by her father, former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer, from 1984-2008.

Ms Downer, an Institute of Public Affairs research fellow and former corporate lawyer and diplomat, unsuccessfully stood for Liberal preselection ahead of the 2016 federal election in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein.

At that election, Ms Sharkie defeated the-then Liberal incumbent Jamie Briggs, who took over from Mr Downer after a 2008 by-election in Mayo.

Ms Downer will aim to become the latest MP in a family dynasty that includes her father, grandfather Alick (Menzies Cabinet minister) and great-grandfather Sir John Downer, a former South Australian premier.

The close of Liberal nominations came as Labor made a last-minute attempt to save senior federal opposition MP Mark Butler’s seat of Port Adelaide from being abolished in a redistribution of South Australia’s federal electorates.

The Australian Electoral Commission is considering objections to its draft plan to cut the number of SA seats in the House of Representatives from 11 to 10 at the next general election. The commission in April proposed abolishing Port Adelaide as part of a redraw that was required because of SA’s falling share of the national population.

Labor urged the commission to reconsider its decision to abolish Port Adelaide and to get rid of the seat of Sturt.

The Liberals have suggested changes to the draft boundaries for the seat of Boothby.