Despite controversial comments and calls for her disendorsement, many Liberals spy an opportunity
s controversy swirls around the Liberal party’s controversial candidate in the seat of Warringah, Katherine Deves, local party officials insist they are witnessing an influx of support from donors and volunteers.Deves’ candidacy has prompted a firestorm of criticism from LGBTQ+ groups, caused infighting within the Liberal party, andafter an avalanche of press about transphobic tweets which surfaced after her nomination.
Another senior party member in Warringah agrees, telling the Guardian members had been attracted to Deves after Scott Morrison defended her through the week.While it is not possible to verify claims about campaign contributions, even moderate Liberals who have stayed away from Deves’ campaign concede there is anecdotal evidence to suggest some of the party faithful have been attracted to the campaign.
And there is no denying Deves is enjoying a level of publicity most candidates can only dream of. Media monitoring data compiled for the Guardian shows that between 10 and 21 April, Deves had more mentions across metro and regional print and online news than any Liberal frontbencher, bar Morrison. Though she had previously been a member, Deves rejoined the Liberal party months before nominating to stand in the seat, and had to receive special dispensation from thestate executive to run. None of the Warringah party members interviewed for this piece had met her before about February, when she began attending branch meetings.
“Neither Lincoln nor Dave Brady were the kind of candidate we really needed here, and then here comes this woman who’s smart, articulate, not at all a ‘politician’, and she looks like a movie star,” the source said.While Deves has been promoted as an advocate for women’s sport, it’s unclear whether, due to her hurried nomination, senior figures in the Liberal party – including Morrison – were aware of the extent of her transphobic comments.
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