Gilmore election results: Fiona Phillips and Andrew Constance go head to head
The Labor election night celebration in one of the nation’s most marginal seats is becoming increasingly jubilant, as volunteers start to feel an eerie reminder of 2022 at the Liberal challenger’s event.
NSW
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The party at the Currarong Bowling and Recreational Club for Gilmore Labor incumbent Fiona Phillips is brimming with excitement, and it’s not just because the caterers have brought in another plate of oysters.
The room is lined with balloons scrawled with “Fiona Phillips for Gilmore” and more supporters and volunteers have arrived resplendent in red, with one stating he’s “feeling confident” as the tide appears to turn on Liberal challenger Andrew Constance in the furiously contested NSW South Coast seat and Sky News calls the election for Labor.
Sky News has called that Labor will retain Gilmore, but Mr Constance is yet to concede.
With results flushing in fast, Gavin Swan said: “Looking at the figures, it’s pretty great.”
“We’re all feeling buoyant, it’s an early swing for Labor across the country, which is pretty good news.”
Fay Lewis added: “I’m feeling very gratified because we worked our guts out.”
Meanwhile, the vibe in the room at Mr Constance’s party across town was summed up in one word: “Grim.”
For one supporter attending Mr Constance’s party, the results have been too much.
“I cried on the way here,” she said.
“Like, not again. Are we actually going to lose this thing again?”
Gilmore became the country’s most marginal seat in 2022.
Mr Constance lost to Ms Phillips by just 373 votes in the last election.
Earlier today, Mr Constance said the regional electorate needed a “strong voice in Canberra”.
“It’s going to be a really interesting election night tonight,” he said.
“Some of the stuff that has been said has been highly personal, people have been called out and I’ve tried to run a very clean campaign,” he said.
After casting her vote, Ms Phillips was unequivocal in her stance on Mr Constance and Opposition leader Peter Dutton.
“If (constituents) put their vote in Dutton, that’s a vote for cuts,” Ms Phillips said.
“My opponent is a stone cold job killer.”
Gilmore federal Liberal candidate Andrew Constance assured his many supporters who gathered at Shoalhaven Heads Bowlo on Saturday night that the fight was “far from over”, despite the seat being called for Labor and Ms Phillips giving a victory speech.
Mr Constance took the mic at 8.30pm on Election Day, thanking his campaign team and supporters.
“I remember last time, it took 30 days before we knew,” Mr Constance told his cheering crowd.
“So strap in.”
Mr Constance said he would not be announcing a result tonight given the closeness of the race and urged his supporters to “look away from the screens”.
“There’s still thousands of pre-poll votes to count,” he said.
Ms Phillips first won Gilmore in 2019 and beat Mr Constance for the first time in 2022.
She entered her after-party to jubilation after swiftly dispatching Mr Constance.
When she was delivering her victory speech, Ms Phillips had won 56 per cent of the preference vote and the result was among the first called by Sky News and the ABC despite being previously one of the most marginal seats in the country.
“We did what some people would call the impossible,” Ms Phillips said.
“This is a win for everyone and for what is right.
“We’ve had a lot thrown at us…that’s something for another day, because tonight we’re going to celebrate.”
Ms Phillips discussed how this has been a “huge” campaign and how the results from tonight “were a justification of hard work”.
“Last time we had to wait three weeks, which was excruciating, but today we can be here and celebrate, which is just amazing,” Ms Phillips said.
When asked about Mr Constance, who is yet to concede, Phillips stated: “That’s up to him.”
“I haven’t seen all the booth results but the ones that I have, I’m happy with,” she added.
“I’ve always known I’ve been up against it, whatever the result has been tonight, I always knew that everything I had was put into it.”
Originally published as Gilmore election results: Fiona Phillips and Andrew Constance go head to head
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