‘Tough night’ for Hayley Edwards but independent not ruling out another go at Rockingham in 2025

Independent candidate Hayley Edwards has not ruled out running for Rockingham in the 2025 State election despite being “surprised” by the strong primary vote pulled by Labor in Saturday’s by-election.

Magenta Marshall prevailed, but Ms Edwards said the high-profile presence of former Rockingham MLA Mark McGowan throughout the campaign was an indication Labor thought it was in trouble.

“It’s clear people are still very much voting for Mark McGowan,” she said.

“The next member will have to stand up on their own two feet and speak for Rockingham and deliver.”

The presence of the former premier was apparent on Saturday, even when he wasn’t physically present, with scores of Labor posters bearing Mr McGowan’s face littering booths across the electorate.

After polls closed Saturday evening, Ms Edwards said it would be a “tough” night as she aimed to beat the Liberals and finish second.

“We’ll see if I can out-poll the Liberals,” she said. “I think it’s going to be close, they have been campaigning pretty hard on the Aboriginal Heritage Act so I think that it will get a lot of protest votes.

“It’s neck and neck between me and Liberals.”

The independent’s assessment was spot-on — she raked in 16 per cent of the primary vote with Liberal Peter Hudson just edging her out with 17.7 per cent.

Despite the Labor victory, Ms Edwards said she was grateful she was able to “shine a light on some important issues” throughout her campaign.

On Sunday, the Rockingham deputy mayor took to social media to thank her supporters.

“I was always realistic about the chances of winning being slim, but the energy in the air was that locals are seeking a change,” she sauid. “In such short time to have a swing like we did is something to be proud of.

“Rockingham has so much potential, let’s hope this next chapter can take us to where we should be.”

While she looks forward to seeing how the Labor win impacts the community, Ms Edwards did not rule out another crack at the coveted seat.

“I think I’ll just have to reassess and wait until it all plays out and then make a call … I’m very optimistic the Liberals and I have both done a very good job to make people understand the issues that are going on in Rockingham,” she said.

Rockingham is now held by a margin of 15.2 per cent, down from 37.7 per cent after the 2021 election.