Independents for Canberra had received 13 per cent of the vote in Kurrajong as of Saturday night, and Thomas Emerson is in with a good chance of getting the seat previously held by Rebecca Vassarotti.
Kurrajong candidate Emerson was an adviser to independent ACT senator David Pocock, a small business owner, and son of former federal Labor minister Craig Emerson.
"ACT Labor has been in power for 22 years. It's the longest-serving government in the country. The Greens have become a party of government and aren't offering the dissenting voice that lots of people expect of them," Mr Emerson told The Canberra Times in January this year.
"And then there's too much internal division within the opposition to mount a viable alternative.
"So it's time for independents to step up and demand something better for our community and step in and offer better representation for people across Canberra."
Mr Emerson added: "People feel frustrated, ignored, disrespected, not heard by this government. And there's no alternative.
"We're interested in shifting the balance of power."
Mr Emerson's father, Craig, had this to say when his son launched the Independents for Canberra party: "As a long-term ALP member, I would have liked to see Tom join the Labor Party.
"But he's his own person and has chosen the path of an independent.
"Tom's values are progressive. He also runs a small business and understands the importance of sound economics in public policy. Tom has long been passionate about helping his community and believes strongly in ethics in politics."
