Teal independent holds 40-vote lead in tight race for Bradfield

A teal independent has made a late surge ahead of the Liberal candidate in Bradfield, with a recount looking increasingly likely.

Bradfield teal independent candidate Nicolette Boele. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

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Teal independent Nicolette Boele has clinched a provisional victory in the blue-ribbon seat of Bradfield on Sydney’s north shore, with final pre-polls propelling her to a 40-vote lead at the conclusion of the count.

Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian had held a 200-vote margin at the start of last week thanks to postal votes that skewed significantly towards the Liberal Party, however a late surge in provisional and declaration pre-poll votes pushed the teal challenger into the lead.

With the final votes counted on Monday, the Australian Electoral Commission will now conduct a full distribution of preferences.

If the margin after this process is less than 100 votes there will be a mandatory recount, meaning an official result could still be weeks away.

The traditional Liberal stronghold recorded a 3 per cent swing towards the teal independent at the polls this year, after she took more than 15 per cent out of the margin held by Paul Fletcher in 2022.

The surprise retirement of the senior moderate Liberal Party figure in December of last year meant Ms Kapterian had less than six months to campaign for the seat, in which Ms Boele had been in campaign mode since her 2022 election attempt.

The Liberal candidate had initially been preselected in neighbouring North Sydney, but the AEC abolished the division, and she beat Warren Mundine for Liberal preselection in Bradfield.

Ms Kapterian, a Salesforce executive, international trade lawyer and former Liberal staffer, secured the backing of former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and former federal treasurer Joe Hockey.

The result makes up for the probable loss of MP Zoe Daniel in the Melbourne seat of Goldstein, meaning the teal independents will likely maintain their representation in the lower house.

Both candidates however, have remained tight-lipped during the race, with neither candidate claiming victory despite multiple media outlets calling the seat for the Liberals last week.