Labor figures were shocked on Friday when lobbyist Kel Watt announced that he would run for preselection in the seat of Canberra just minutes after Katy Gallagher confirmed she would seek preselection in the Senate.
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Weeks of speculation of one kind ended when Ms Gallagher announced her intention to return to federal politics in her former role, while another type of speculation mounted about the race for the seat of Canberra.
Some described being "blind-sided" by Mr Watt's announcement, which comes after a year in which he has been campaigning against the ACT government's plan to ban greyhound racing in the territory.
Mr Watt doesn't see that as a hurdle in his bid for a place on Capital Hill. "If people want an apologist they should choose someone else," Mr Watt told Fairfax Media, saying he was fighting for working-class people in the ACT.
ACT Labor could be headed for two preselection battles in the next six months, after Ms Gallagher's replacement David Smith declared that he also wanted to continue to represent Labor federally, preferably in the Senate.
Sitting MPs Andrew Leigh and Gai Brodtmann have already declared their intention to run in the seats of Fenner and Bean respectively, meaning the seat of Canberra has no incumbent, and could face a large field of possible candidates for preselection.
Mr Smith has not ruled out running for Canberra if he is unsuccessful in his bid to retain the place in the Senate, but said he believed that it was important to have continuity in the upper house representation for the ACT. Labor leader Bill Shorten backed Ms Gallagher earlier this week, and the party's leader in the Senate Penny Wong said on Friday morning she looked forward to welcoming her back to the Senate.
If Ms Gallagher is successful in her bid, Mr Smith and Mr Watt could face a younger band of challengers for the seat, with speculation continuing around staffers at both territory and federal level.
Staffer to chief minister Andrew Barr and Mt Ainslie branch president Jacob Ingram is considered to be a serious contender for the seat, and speculation continues that staffer to Andrew Leigh and former marriage equality campaigner Jacob White will also throw his hat in the ring.
It has been reported that national CEO of the St Vincent de Paul Society John Falzon may also be a contender, while chief minister Andrew Barr has once again ruled himself out of the race.
The timing of preselection is yet to be decided by ACT Labor's administration committee, but it is possible that the decision could be made to hold the ballots for the lower house seats after the Senate ticket has been decided. If an early election is called the chance for a ballot of members may be lost and the decision made by the party's national executive.
