Kerryn Phelps concedes defeat to Liberal candidate in key Sydney seat
Independent federal MP Kerryn Phelps has conceded defeat to Liberal Party candidate Dave Sharma in the high-profile Sydney seat of Wentworth.
The race for the blue-ribbon seat had been neck and neck with Mr Sharma leading the sitting MP by just 1751 votes on Monday morning.
Mr Sharma has 51.67 per cent of the vote on a two-party preferred basis while Dr Phelps has 48.33 per cent.
Dr Phelps held a press conference on Monday morning during which she concede defeat.
"Representing your electorate in Parliament is a unique and special opportunity,” she said.
"I would like to thank my wife Jacqui, and my children, for their unwavering support."
Mr Sharma, the former ambassador to Israel, was confident he could claw back the seat for the Liberals after Dr Phelps wrestled it from the party at a by-election in October sparked by the dumping of ex-Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The Liberal stronghold swung to Dr Phelps in the October by-election that followed the ousting of Mr Turnbull in 2018.
Dr Phelps admitted on election day the results would be close.
She said her team couldn’t have worked harder and they knew it would be close.
“In order to win the by-election I had to achieve a historic swing,” she said.
“To hold that would be a massive challenge.”
Mr Turnbull quit parliament in August shortly after fellow Liberals turned on his leadership in a failed bid to install Peter Dutton but later endorsed Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The ABC reports the voters punished Liberals in October in the Wentworth seat following the leadership spill.
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