That is the question facing the damaged Canberra Liberals today, as Gary Humphries prepares for political retirement.

Zed Seselja is a vigorous campaigner who came close to victory in the ACT Legislative Assembly elections.

However, the party has been generating negative publicity for months now after his last-minute decision to challenge Humphries for the plum job of representing the ACT in the Senate. Many Liberal Party members were denied a vote when the preselection was decided in Seselja's favour last month. Some had been caught napping, not attending meetings to become eligible to vote, simply because they thought there would be no vote, with Humphries preselected without challenge.

They seemed shocked by how the real world operates.

From the raft of emails circulated to members, there seems little doubt that meeting dates and venues were manipulated.

The losers were Humphries' supporters and they made their displeasure known at the February meeting when they were effectively locked out.

Their anger at the so-called dirty tricks was on display again on Wednesday night, especially from older members, as they entered the meeting room at the Rex Hotel.

So what lies ahead?

It is unlikely that Seselja and Humphries, former mates, will be able to work together.

However, Humphries will have to go about his business of representing Canberra citizens, until September.

The smile may be a little false, the attitude stoic, but after 10 years in the Senate, he can expect to go out with a parliamentary pension of around $80,000 per year.

Seselja has to immediately formally launch his campaign and, somehow, unite the party.

If the anger lingers, he will have fewer volunteers to call on to door knock now and to work at the voting booths in September.

Seselja has to prove to voters that he will fight hard against the threatened cuts to Canberra, in the likelihood the Coalition wins the election.

Humphries' pitch was that he would be on the frontbench of an incoming Coalition government, well placed to fight from inside the tent to protect Canberra.

But Abbott could pick Seselja to become a parliamentary secretary immediately, taking Humphries' spot on the frontbench.

Then the heat will really be on Seselja to show he can make progress against the national sport of Canberra bashing.

Humphries could mount a legal challenge to the decision of divisional council, but that would be a waste of time.

The grassroots have spoken.

After the criticism that the preselection ballot was rorted, Humphries' supporters were given their chance to mobilise their numbers for Wednesday night's meeting.

There was ample notice, the venue was known, no tricks.

The Liberal Senator is back to where he was in February - pondering just how ruthless and thankless political life can be. Just as Simon Crean.

Does it matter that Abbott ''backed the loser'', as noted on Twitter?

It was important he backed his team member, even though Seselja aligns with Abbott's conservatism.

To have done otherwise would have disgraceful behaviour, not worthy of a team leader.

Watching the Liberals' internecine war from the sidelines is high profile Greens' candidate, Simon Sheikh.

He undoubtedly has a long range political game plan, where his candidacy for the ACT Senate is but a starting point.

Still, the shenanigans in the Liberal Party mean his likelihood of success has gone from highly unlikely to an outside chance.