Former NSW transport minister Andrew Constance has won preselection to represent the Liberal Party in the seat of Gilmore at the next federal election.
Mr Constance, who was also the MP for the NSW south coast electorate of Bega for 19 years, defeated local lawyer Paul Ell by 11 votes, with branch members casting their ballots in Nowra on Saturday.
He now faces a rematch with Labor incumbent Fiona Phillips, who defeated him by fewer than 400 votes in the May 2022 federal election despite a 13 per cent swing to the Liberals.
Mr Constance was also overlooked for a seat in the Senate following the death of Jim Molan from prostate cancer in January 2023 but won the endorsement of federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for the right to contest Gilmore.
"I would like to thank the local Liberal members for giving me this opportunity to continue fighting for our region," Mr Constance said in a statement following the result.
"In the good times or the hard, I have stood with the community and advocated for its needs.
"To this day I am asked to help fix things for our bushfire victims or with many other issues, and I absolutely love that.
"I've never stopped advocating and I'm proud to say I am still delivering results."
If elected, Mr Constance said he would be a champion for stimulating regional economies through funding of infrastructure.
