The election campaign for Country Labor's Monaro candidate Bryce Wilson came to a swift end on Saturday night with a more than 8 per cent swing to NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.
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Mr Wilson and Labor members in Monaro felt the result reflected statewide attitudes towards issues plaguing the NSW Labor Party.
Despite the disappointing result, there remained a steadfastly cheery attitude at Mr Wilson's election night event at the Queanbeyan Leagues Club.
Surrounded by friends, family and the Labor faithful, in a sea of bright red t-shirts, Mr Wilson thanked all of his volunteers and told them they had reason to be proud.
"I'm really proud of our campaign," Mr Wilson said.
The sentiment on the night was that the result was undoubtedly influenced by the state-wide headwinds against the Labor Party, something echoed by federal member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly.
Dr Kelly said the result highlighted broader issues at play, including the "unfortunate comments" from NSW Labor leader Michael Daley uncovered days out from the election.
He described the comments as disappointing and an aberration within the Labor movement, and said the party needed to learn, accept this result and start rebuilding its credentials.
Dr Kelly himself will face the ballot box in a matter of weeks, but he said he thought attitudes to federal and state politics remained separate. Nonetheless, he said he would be fighting hard in the following weeks.
He said he viewed the next federal election as the country's last chance to take action on climate change.
Mr Wilson agreed the Monaro result was subject to statewide concerns and a move against Labor but credited his opponent's campaign.
He said Mr Barilaro had built a strong personal brand in the region but also had the benefit of incumbency.
He pointed to the money Mr Barilaro was able to promise to Monaro projects in the lead up to the election and he said he and the Labor team would be ensuring the deputy premier delivers on his commitments.
"John and I have played some hard cricket at times, but we'll always shake hands at the end of it," he said.
In addition to taking pride in the campaign, Mr Wilson said he was proud that pressure he'd been able to put on Mr Barilaro resulted in positive projects for the community, such as the proposed Googong primary school and Bungendore high school.
While he wasn't certain what would come next for Bryce Wilson, he was certain of one thing.
"I became a science teacher to make a difference in people's lives," Mr Wilson said.
"That journey doesn't end.
"Whatever I do next, it will be in that frame."
