Nick Xenophon’s SA Best party set to outpoll Labor and Liberals, latest Newspoll shows

NICK Xenophon is currently outpolling both Labor and the Liberals in the lead-up to the March state election, the latest Newspoll shows.

NICK Xenophon’s new party SA Best is currently outpolling Labor and the Liberal Party in South Australia, three months out from the March state election.

SA Best recorded 32 per cent of the primary vote, compared to the Liberals on 29 per cent and Labor on 27 per cent, with the Greens on six per cent, the latest Newspoll published in The Australian showed on Tuesday.

Mr Xenophon is also sitting on 46 per cent of the vote as better premier, ahead of incumbent Jay Weatherill on 22 per cent and Opposition Leader Steven Marshall who polled 19 per cent, The Australian reports.

The Greens dropped three points to 6 per cent, while support for other parties and independents dropped 11 points to 6 per cent, the lowest level since the 2014 election when it was at 10.7 per cent, The Australian said.

Mr Weatherill is due to face Mr Marshall at the next state election on March 17.

Mr Xenophon launched the local SA Best political party in March with a promise to provide a genuine third alternative at the 2018 state election.

“For the first time ever, in South Australia, there will be a genuine three-way contest,” he said in March.

“There will be a genuine, credible alternative to the major parties. Forming SA Best is putting the out-of-touch political elites on notice that their age of entitlement is well and truly over.

“We want to bring out the best in people, the best in our institutions and do the best for our state.”

The party will use the slogan “Real change you can trust”.

In October, Mr Xenophon announced he would quit Federal Parliament and run in the state election next year.

The former Nick Xenophon Team senator had sat in Federal Parliament since 2007 but said he had decided to run for State Parliament because “South Australia is at a crossroad”.

He is running for the seat of Hartley in Adelaide’s east.

A few weeks later, a poll Galaxy poll conducted for the Australian Bankers’ Association also showed he was the preferred option to lead the state, supported by 41 per cent of respondents.

And last week, an exclusive Sunday Mail Your Say, SA survey showed that with fewer than 100 days until the state election, 49.5 per cent of respondents trust Mr Xenophon the most.

Read the full version at The Australian.