Kieran McAnulty. PHOTO/FILE
KAREN COLTMAN
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Labour Party 2020 election candidate and current list MP Kieran McAnulty said he is encouraged by supporters of other political parties saying they will vote for him for the Wairarapa electorate seat.
McAnulty was the only person nominated for the Labour candidacy and his selection was confirmed at the Carterton Events Centre on Saturday.
“While I’m campaigning for two ticks for Labour, I’m encouraged by the number of Green, NZ First and National supporters that have stopped me while I’m out and about and pledged their candidate vote to me,”
McAnulty said. “I was delighted to receive unanimous support from Wairarapa Labour members that attended Saturday’s confirmation meeting. It means a lot to me.
“Labour in Wairarapa is in good heart. We’ve had a steady stream of donations come through and have a team of supporters 100-plus strong and growing, with volunteers coming forward every week.”
With the election now less than a year away, McAnulty believes Wairarapa is “a marginal seat”.
Defence Minister, Ron Mark has confirmed he is the NZ First Candidate for the seat. The Green Party are selecting their candidate early next year.
With sitting MP Alastair Scott leaving politics, chairman of the National Party Wairarapa branch, David Holmes said interest for the candidacy is coming from right across the region.
The branch is formally receiving nominations from the end of January when everyone is ‘back in full swing’. Newspaper advertisements have been booked asking candidates to come forward.
“There is interest to represent National from Waipawa down to Martinborough,” he said. “We have potentially more than five people ready to step forward.”
Once applications are in, the National Party selection process will take about six weeks.
Holmes said that National party members are hearing the opposite of what McAnulty is hearing.
“They are not voting for him, quite the contrary,” he said.
