In the 1992 film The Distinguished Gentleman, a sketchy figure named Thomas Johnson runs for a seat in Congress that used to be held by a politician of the same name who died suddenly while having sex with his secretary. Johnson the less-than-distinguished (played by Eddie Murphy) figures a not-insignificant portion of the electorate will vote for a name that sounds familiar. The ploy works, and hijinks ensue.

Is disgraced Victorian politician Tim Smith counting on a similar phenomenon? He was quoted in The Age on Wednesday saying he was weighing up a run for Liberal preselection in the seat of Warrandyte, that morning vacated by the Coalition’s Ryan Smith (no relation).