BLOG: Mount Albert By-Election Reflections
We went into this by-election very much the under-dog. We stood no candidate in the last general election in Mount Albert and so we had virtually no local profile to build on. This coupled with the fact that during the campaign, we were seldom invited to attend public meetings or debates, meant we had to stick to a fairly traditional campaign with hoardings, leaflets and lots of door-knocking.
On Sat 13th June voter turn-out was unimpressive, and I suspect many National supporters who had become disenchanted with their candidate stayed home rather than transfer their vote else-where. Our own result was disappointing to say the least.
However we have finished the campaign with a new support base of mainly Indian immigrants in Mount Albert who are small business people with strong family values and tangible political interests. These people hosted meetings for myself and Peter Dunne, delivered leaflets and are keen to stay connected to us.
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