Federal election 2022: Liberal MP Ian Goodenough still fighting for Moore

Liberal MP Ian Goodenough has been spotted at his Joondalup electoral office as he clings onto a razor-thin margin in his seat of Moore.

Mr Goodenough went into Saturday’s Federal poll with a comfortable 11.9 per cent margin over Labor in his northern suburbs electorate.

But with more than 67 per cent of votes counted late on Sunday morning, the incumbent MP’s lead over Labor has been slashed to just 0.3 per cent.

Mr Goodenough leads Labor candidate Tom French by less than 500 votes overall, raising the prospect of an upset victory for Anthony Albanese’s new government.

Mr French is bidding to turn the electorate red for the first time since it was held by Allen Blanchard from 1983 to 1990.

The electrician ran a relatively low-key campaign without major financial backing as Labor instead trained its sights on more winnable targets such as Swan and Pearce.

However, the wave of Labor support that washed across WA looked like possibly turfing Mr Goodenough out of the seat he has held since 2013.

The possible upset in Moore comes following a dash of controversy in the lead-up to the poll.

After losing his seat of Stirling in a boundary redistribution following the 2019 election, Vince Connelly attempted to topple his Liberal colleague Mr Goodenough in a heated preselection tussle.

But Mr Connelly failed to convince preselectors to remove the nine-year incumbent, losing 39-36.

That prompted his wife Peta to make a scathing Facebook post — which she quickly deleted — in which she claimed the better candidate had lost.

“Vince fought a hard fight, but it’s tough going up against a senior Liberal who bullied, manipulated and lied to voters in order to protect her friend,” she said.

“A very sad reflection on the Liberal Party democratic processes, and a synopsis of the future for the party — stuck in the past and happy with mediocrity.”