A former McKinsey consultant has been preselected by the Liberal Party to take retired former prime minister Scott Morrison’s seat in southern Sydney.
In the decisive round of voting today, Simon Kennedy defeated local mayor Carmelo Pesce 158 to 90, securing his place in parliament in the very safe Liberal seat of Cook.
Not a native of the region, Kennedy lost the 2022 election to Labor’s Jerome Laxale for the inner-city seat of Bennelong.
While campaigning for the position, Kennedy vehemently opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but he also claimed that he and his family had received vaccinations and urged others to do the same.
With a margin of more than 12 percent, the Liberals maintain control of Cook in Cronulla.
It has been stated that Labor will not be fielding a candidate to challenge the seat.
Morrison delivered his farewell speech to the legislature last month, but the byelection’s date has not yet been announced.
