Local Liberal Party branch members will have the opportunity to endorse a candidate for the seat of Gilmore in coming weeks.
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The Gilmore Selection Committee will meet at a local venue on Wednesday, December 12 at 7pm.
Milton businessman Grant Schultz, the sole remaining nominee in the Liberal race, will likely be endorsed.
More than 50 preselectors will be asked if they are satisfied with the field of candidates before they vote to endorse Mr Schultz.
It is understood Mr Schultz has enough support from branch members in Gilmore to be endorsed.
It appears high-profile Indigenous advocate Warren Mundine’s interest in the seat of Gilmore has waned.
Last week, Mr Mundine made national headlines while he was reportedly being courted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to run for the Liberal Party in Gilmore.
Mr Mundine, who is not a member of the Liberal Party, told ABC Illawarra he would have an announcement to make this week.
As of Friday at 11am, Mr Mundine had not come forward with an official statement.
The endorsement meeting in December follows Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis’ untimely exit from politics in August, which inadvertently sparked months of uncertainty in the Liberal camp about who would be eligible to stand for preselection, and when party members would have a candidate to support.
Mr Schultz came to the fore in May, when the worst-kept secret in town was confirmed by a leaked email.
The real estate agent emailed local Liberal Party members to affirm he would challenge Mrs Sudmalis at preselection for endorsement in Gilmore.
The Melbourne-born, Cootamundra-raised contender worked for the Australian Federal Police for nearly 30 years, where he was deployed to East Timor three times and Cyprus.
Meanwhile, the Australian Labor Party’s Candidate for Gilmore Fiona Phillips was endorsed in March 2017.
She has ramped up her campaign in recent months, able to crusade unopposed.
Ms Phillips has welcomed a number of high-ranking federal Labor politicians to the area including Bill Shorten (June 2016, April 2017), Tanya Plibersek (August 2018), Anthony Albanese (July, November 2018), Chris Bowen (August 2017), Tony Burke (October 2018) and Stephen Jones (regularly).
