Jenny Ware is upbeat as she walks around a picturesque waterfront park in Como, in Sydney's south.
She's on a mission to introduce herself to as many people as possible, but knows her time is short.
"Hi, I'm Jenny Ware. I'm the Liberal candidate for Hughes," she tells a handful of parents and grandparents supervising kids in a bustling playground.
Her reception is mixed, but she's not daunted.
"There's only 38 days left … it's a sprint but we can do it," the specialist planning and environment lawyer says.
What she's not saying, is that if she had been preselected when she first nominated for the federal seat of Hughes last year, she would have had well over six months to campaign, not six weeks.
The electorate of Hughes, which wouldn't typically attract attention ahead of a federal election, has been thrust into the spotlight after finding itself at the centre of a nasty row over preselections.
The battle began when the Liberal party's federal executive attempted to lock in a dozen candidates across various electorates in NSW — including Hughes — without giving branch members a chance to vote in the preselections.
The move would have protected two Cabinet Ministers and a sitting MP who risked being ousted, but the proposal also sought to parachute a former Young Liberal from Manly into the seat of Hughes.
The prospect of having an outsider imposed on the electorate prompted immediate grassroots fury, with one Liberal source describing it as "stupidity".
For moderates it was seen as the final straw after years of federal intervention circumventing their efforts to oust outspoken conservative Craig Kelly.
In the end, a High Court ruling allowed the Prime Minister to proceed with his plans to hand-pick candidates in the 12 seats, but in an about-turn, Ms Ware was selected for Hughes.
Heathcote MP Lee Evans said Jenny Ware was likely to have won preselection anyway, so the entire debacle could have been avoided.
"Her campaign is now coming together well but it could have been a lot earlier and less stressful to get to this point," said the moderate powerbroker in the Hughes electorate.
Hughes takes in parts of Liverpool and the Sutherland Shire, stretching from Wattle Grove in the west to Grays Point and Bundeena in the east.
Mr Kelly has been its MP since 2010 but is now running for the United Australia Party (UAP).
And while Ms Ware faces an uphill battle to build a public profile as the Liberal candidate in time, Labor's position is worse.
The party, which received 40.2 per cent of the vote after preferences at the last federal election, has had its candidate quit at the last minute over dual-citizenship concerns.
Two pro-climate independents are also running and sense an opportunity.
"I think people are seeing the internal party machinations as a debacle, but I won't ever be subjected to internal party politics, so it is a bit of a bonus I think," independent candidate Linda Seymour said.
"After the last 12 years [of Craig Kelly] I think this electorate is ready for change."
Another independent candidate, Georgia Steele, is hoping to stage a Zali Steggall-style upset and snatch a safe seat.
Her chances are slim, but if she pulls it off it would be the first time an independent has ever won Hughes.
And her campaign is flush with cash, having raised $400,000, which is understood to be far more than her Liberal rival.
The campaign war chest includes a $100,000 donation from Climate 200, a not-for-profit that is backing 21 independent candidates across the country.
She's hoping to tap into a love of the environment in the conservative seat of Hughes.
"We have the Royal National Park here, the Heathcote National Park … people really care about their beaches and their rivers," she said.
"Concern about the climate is significant in this electorate and it is growing."
The Greens and minor party TNL are also putting forward candidates.
A minor party win is very unlikely, according to election analyst Antony Green, who said he was confident the Liberals will again claim the seat, something they have done in every federal election since 1996.
Mr Kelly's United Australia Party only received 2.5 per cent of the vote in 2019, but acknowledges he has strong brand recognition after being the Liberal member for the electorate for 12 years.
If he doesn't win the seat, it's unclear if he will remain the leader of the UAP as the title would likely transfer to a candidate that gets elected to parliament.
