For two weeks, moderates within the New South Wales Liberal party have been asking the same question: why did the prime minister pick lightning rod candidate Katherine Deves in Warringah?
To be crystal clear, no one in the party thought Warringah was winnable. The Liberals went through a laundry list of potential candidates, including two former state premiers – Gladys Berejiklian and Mike Baird – in a bid to find a star to unseat independent Zali Steggall. None of them wanted it.
