LNP candidate for Townsville Adam Baillie reacts to strong LNP early voting numbers, says party historically the underdog

Despite News Corp exit polling revealing a strong surge in votes for the LNP with early voters, Townsville’s LNP candidate says the party are still “not the favourites”.

Adam Baillie, LNP candidate for Townsville. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Even after exclusive exit polls results revealed a strong primary vote for the LNP, their Townsville candidate says the party is “not the favourites by any stretch of the imagination”.

An exit poll conducted by Newscorp across the organisation’s Queensland publications saw that across 10 seats in the state, the LNP was winning the primary vote on 48.2 per cent compared to Labor’s 30 per cent.

The results showed the three Labor seats in Townsville, currently held by Labor incumbents Les Walker, Scott Stewart and Aaron Harper, were facing a real threat of defeat.

Out of 100 voters polled at an early-voting centre in the seat of Thuringowa, 56 said they had decided to vote for the LNP, 20 for Labor and 15 deciding on the KAP.

While the LNP is clearly in the hot seat to form government, Townsville candidate Adam Baillie says the party still needs to push for change and talk to voters about their plan.

“Townsville is a funny place,” he said.

Adam Baillie, LNP candidate for Townsville. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“In the last 30 years there have been 12 elections, the LNP has won one of those.

“If they were two football teams facing off in the grand final, one team has won 11 of them and the other team has won one.”

Mr Baillie said he and his neighbouring candidates, Natalie Marr (Thuringowa) and Janelle Poole (Mundingburra), would continue to campaign hard and talk to voters about “the right plan for Queensland’s future” right up until October 26.

With many voters polled showing their distain for Labor, Mr Baillie was asked if he felt the KAP were the biggest opponent to which he responding by saying the opponent was “always Labor”.

“They are out there, they’re the incumbents, they have had Townsvillle for effectively 30 years,” he said.

“They are in a stage where they are desperately clutching at straws and they will do and say anything to hold onto power.”

Originally published as LNP candidate for Townsville Adam Baillie reacts to strong LNP early voting numbers, says party historically the underdog