Shaw rolled again!

This tweet from Ben is spot on. A week ago James was saying he wanted to be the candidate, and a few days later he is endorsing a 20 something year old for the seat. One can only conclude he got told by local members they would not support him.

I still believe there is a very real possibility he will lose the co-leadership to Chloe Swarbrick this year. With Ardern having retired, the logic is even stronger with a lot of young women voters now reconsidering who to support.

At the last election Labour got 44% and Greens 30% party vote in WC, with National at 15%. Now bear in mind Labour’s vote is 10% or so lower than in 2020, and it is definitely winnable for the Greens. It may come down to candidate quality. Also will National voters vote tactically.