The Liberals are still holding out hope of snatching Eden-Monaro, as Labor's Mike Kelly clings to a narrow lead with more than 80 per cent of votes counted.
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Dr Kelly was leading Liberal candidate Fiona Kotvojs 51.10 to 48.90 on a two-party-preferred basis, as 7.20pm on Sunday.
That represents a 1.83 point swing against Dr Kelly, who took back the traditionally bellwether seat at the 2016 election.
Dr Kelly told supporters on Saturday night that it looked like Labor had "delivered the goods" in the seat. But the race tightened on Sunday as counting continued.
Ms Kotvojs said early indications were that pre-poll votes were breaking in the Coalition's favour, giving her hope that she might yet clinch the seat.
"I wouldn't say I'm confident or not confident, but it's still possible that we could win this," Ms Kotvojs said.
Saturday's result came as a shock to many, but Ms Kotvojs said she was "not surprised" that voters had elected to give the Coalition a third term in office.
"In my electorate, there was real concern about the impact [of Labor policies], particularly among small businesses and in the agricultural sector," she said.
"A lot of what they were telling me wasn't being reflected in the opinion polls."
Dr Kelly declined to comment when contacted by The Canberra Times, but told Bega District News that he thought it was "unlikely that" Ms Kotvojs would get the votes bridge the gap.
"Given the state of the situation at the moment with the numbers and the balance of votes, I think it will be difficult for her to come up with the 2000-odd gap," he said.
- with Albert McKnight
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Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
