Chloe Swabrick on winning Auckland Central
If anyone could win an electorate seat for the Greens, it’s Chloe.
I am a huge fan of her’s and believe she is a future leader who has more capacity to lift the Greens in terms of political support and gaining a 20% aspiration than any other green politician.
Chloe’s electorate attempt in Central Auckland is the only antidote to the grim reality that the Green brand has become too alienating and they will get swamped under the 5% threshold by Jacinda’s stella leadership.
So could Chloe win it?
The current electorate math is stacked against her and Labour’s low ranking of Helen White makes the 2 for 1 argument weaker to win over Labour voters, but Chloe is an extraordinary candidate whose third placed Mayoralty run tapped into an organic electorate who hadn’t previously voted.
Nikki Kaye’s extra exposure as Deputy has unfortunately highlighted her weaknesses, not her strengths so a Chloe vs Nikki Kaye electorate debate could be the amazing catalyst for a spectacular upset.
In any normal election, I’d say there was no way even a stella candidate like Chloe could wrestle Auckland Central away from Nikki Kaye, but this election, after the madness of the pandemic and lockdown?
In this election, the urge for vision is driving voters.
Chloe has that.
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Don’t dismiss Helen White. She has all the attributes of a good member for Auckland Central: she grew up there, she’s a lawyer and a mother, left wing, personable and attractive/photogenic. I knew her as a young volunteer for Corso (left leaning NZ aid agency that folded) showing her dedication to the under privileged and left wing causes. Definitely a brilliant candidate
Unless Labour drops out (they never will stop fighting Auckland central) a strong campaign from the greens makes Nikki Kaye winning the seat inevitable.
Just like the greens and Labour running against each other in Nelson means Nick Smith will win there. It really is too bad that Jacinda comes from the right of Labour (she does she really really does, caucus picked her unanimously and the membership would never have picked her in a leadership contest) and looks down on election pacts even though nearly every European country with proportional voting has a red green left alliance at nearly every election and will do seat deals, Labour is as bad as National about understanding MMP but atleast national is smart enough to do electorate deals.
I wish the greens luck, it’d be an incredible win
Good points Corey. As in the right of Labour Jacinda’s allies were Robertson and Twyford, they are still her close allies and neo-liberals at heart.
Do you think the tactical arrangement you suggest would mean Chloe rather than Helen? Probably the better known candidate would attract a bigger vote??
Well, somewhere in the country, Labour needs to assist the Greens to take an electorate seat–if they ever want to get policy such as Fair Pay Agreements and Light Rail and Welfare Reform happening. But maybe the caucus does not really want to go there…
Jacinda has done well in the disaster stakes for sure, but Corey Humm is dead right about Jacinda’s political space. I remember the TV news shot of her and Grant Robertson in a corridor when David Cunliffe’s narrow leadership win was announced, she looked shocked and highly pissed off.
I saw another Parliamentary clip when Cunliffe’s victory was announced – one of Jacinda and Phil Twyford close together looking thoroughly pissed off. Twyford recovered his political nonce sufficiently to fly up to Auckland and attend the celebratory meeting in Cunliffe’s electorate office. A survivor; other rent seekers take note.