Davidson to announce she is running

Stuff reports:

The Green Party’s Marama Davidson has all but announced her bid to be co-leader.

Davidson, ranked number 2 on the list but not a minister, is seen by many within the party as the obvious choice to take the top spot.

She has set up a Facebook event for an “announcement” in Auckland on February 4 but will not tell media what that announcement is.

Which means it is obviously that she is running.

The Party’s membership votes for its leaders at the Green Party Annual Conference in June or July.

However the Greens have announced the timetable for the decision will be moved to slightly earlier in the year.

While Davidson is a favourite she is not without competition. 

Green Party ministers Eugenie Sage and Julie Anne Genter both have support within the party.

It is understood that if Davidson runs Green MP Jan Logie will rule out running herself.

Minister for Women Genter could suffer from a perception that she comes from the more buttoned-up version of the Green Party, exemplified by male co-leader James Shaw.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage would be more of a compromise candidate, with strong credentials in the environmental movement and the proven experience of the coalition negotiations behind her.

The decision on co-leader will be a proxy decision on what issues matter most to the Greens and how they plan to brand themselves going forward.