Scott Morrison replacement revealed: Simon Kennedy to run as Liberal candidate in safe Cook seat

Consultant Simon Kennedy will succeed Scott Morrison as candidate for Cook’s federal seat.

Kennedy won Liberal Party preselection over Sutherland Shire Mayor Carmelo Pesce on Monday night and will contest the South Sydney seat in a by-election sparked by the former premier’s resignation.

The vote ended in the first round after hundreds of party faithful gathered in the region.

Kennedy received 158 votes to Pesce’s 90.

War widow Gwen Cherne, the only woman to stand for preselection, came third with 35 votes.

Cherne was backed by former Liberal prime minister and party giant John Howard.

Ben Britton was the fourth person to raise his hand, but fell short with just 13 votes.

Cook is considered a safe Liberal seat, having been held by Morrison by more than 12 per cent in the last federal election with 55 per cent of the primary vote.

Despite a more than eight per cent drop in Morrison’s primary vote and a small rebound for Labour, the latter’s vote of 25 per cent was still less than half that of the Liberals.

Labor is unlikely to invest huge resources in trying to win the seat.

Cook has been in Liberal hands since 1975.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that the party had yet to decide whether to formally present a candidate.

“Cook is not a seat we would be expected to win, but we will wait and see,” he told ABC Radio.

Kennedy is a partner at consulting firm Banksia after leaving McKinsey, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He was unsuccessful in his bid for the Sydney seat of Bennelong in the 2022 federal election.

Labor reclaimed Howard’s old seat for only the second time since its creation in 1972, after a swing of almost eight per cent against the Liberals.