White vs Swarbrick

The Herald reports:

Green MP Chloe Swarbrick has hit back at a suggestion by her rival Auckland Central candidate that she’s merely “a celebrity”.

Swarbrick and Labour’s Helen White are competing for the seat left vacant by departing National MP Nikki Kaye – and an Epsom-style deal has already been ruled out by Labour.

White told RNZ that she saw National – which is yet to name its new candidate for the seat – as her main opponent for the seat, rather than Swarbrick.

Quizzed about Swarbrick’s higher profile and name recognition, White told RNZ: “I’d ask them whether they’re looking for a celebrity or someone to do this job very seriously.”

Today, Swarbrick returned fire with a pointed tweet.

“Before I fought my way into @NZParliament with @NZGreens, I was dismissed as having no life experience,” she wrote.

“Now I’ve put my head down & done the work to huge results, & a candidate preferring themselves the front runner is using the same attacks against me that misogynists do our PM?”

The fighting her way into Parliament is debatable as Liam Hehir points out:

I think fighting your way into Parliament is what you do when you campaign unpaid full-time for nine months, door knock 10,000 houses and win a seat that the other party has held for 9,000 years.

Being placed in a winnable list spot is not really the same thing.