No clear frontrunner as Liberals weigh Dutton replacementBy political reporter Tom CrowleyTopic:Liberal Party of Australia1h ago1 hours agoSun 4 May 2025 at 12:37amAndrew Hastie, Sussan Ley, Angus Taylor and Dan Tehan are likely leadership contenders. (AAP and ABC News)In short:No clear frontrunner has yet emerged for the Liberal leadership, with Angus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan among the names floated.Whoever succeeds will inherit the smallest Liberal party room in its modern history, with as few as 25 seats.What's next?Labor's seat tally could rise above 90 as counting continues in several close races.abc.net.au/news/liberal-leadership-four-contenders-federal-election-2025/105250010Link copiedShareShare articleA clear frontrunner for the Liberal leadership is yet to emerge, as the party weighs a handful of options from its diminished ranks to replace Peter Dutton.Mr Dutton is one of more than a dozen Liberals likely to lose their seats after Anthony Albanese's landslide victory, forcing the question of a replacement as the party grapples with how to rebuild from a devastating result which saw it all but banished from every major city.Election essentials:Federal election updates and live resultsHow Labor carved a path to a landslide victoryWhat was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionAngus Taylor, Sussan Ley, Andrew Hastie and Dan Tehan are among the contenders, although all are associated with the Dutton campaign to varying degrees as frontbenchers.It took just over two hours to call time on Dutton's two decades in politicsPhoto shows A close up of Peter Dutton on stage. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton lost the seat he has held for 24 years on Saturday, as Labor swept to a landslide victory. Whoever succeeds will lead the smallest Liberal team in the party's modern history, with a final seat tally likely to be somewhere around 25, the lowest since 1946 when the House of Representatives was half its current size. The Nationals will likely land somewhere around 15.All four contenders bar Mr Tehan have remained silent since the loss, amid a flurry of back-room discussions that began even before the result was known on Saturday.Mr Tehan told the ABC's election night broadcast it was too soon to consider that question, after he survived a third consecutive challenge in his own seat of Wannon from independent Alex Dyson."I haven't had any time to think about the future … You need time to consider, time to think and get an understanding of what has occurred."Mr Tehan, who was immigration spokesperson in Mr Dutton's shadow cabinet and has been minister for education and social services, said there needed to be a "proper review of all the policies" in the "cold, hard light of day.""We have got to have a root-and-branch look at everything that's occurred."Ms Ley, who has been minister for health and environment and was Liberal deputy in the last parliament, faced a surprisingly strong challenge in her own seat of Farrer from independent Michelle Milthorpe, but looks set to retain the seat and is the most moderate of the options.What was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionPhoto shows An illustration of the map of Australia with multicoloured lines behind itExplore the results across the capital cities and the entire nation with these maps.Mr Taylor, who was shadow treasurer and has been energy minister, has often been floated as Dutton's successor and could offer the party an opportunity to ditch its unpopular nuclear energy policy, of which he had previously been a critic.Mr Hastie is widely seen as a future Liberal leader and was spoken of highly by senior Liberal senator Michaelia Cash on election night, but is the youngest of the group at age 42 and has not held senior portfolios outside of defence.Read more about the federal election:It took just over two hours to call time on Dutton's two decades in federal politicsHave Your Say: What was the issue, policy or event that decided your vote?Federal election map: See a quick snapshot of how the parties are performingWant even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 federal election coverageCatch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on ABC iview and ABC ListenThe Western Australian would be the first person from his state to lead a major party since Labor's Kim Beazley.None of the four contenders is from a major city, with Mr Hastie's marginal seat of Canning on the fringe of Perth and Mr Taylor's seat of Hume on the southern fringe of Sydney the closest.Liberal MP Keith Wolahan, who is likely to lose his suburban seat of Menzies, said the party needed to rethink its approach to cities."It was clear [at the last election] that our party has an issue in urban Australia, which is where most people live … We need to acknowledge the cities that we live in are not the cities that we used to live in or think we live in."Labor 'win for the ages' could surge past 90 seats, but many races too close to callThe ABC has projected Labor victories in 85 seats, while it is competitive in another 13 seats, which remain too close to call.Most of Labor's wins are in capital cities, including four in Brisbane, two each in Sydney and Melbourne, one in Adelaide and one in Perth. The Liberals have also been driven out of Tasmania entirely, and Labor has clinched the north Queensland seat of Leichhardt.How Labor wonThe Australian people speak, delivering Anthony Albanese "a win for the ages".Among the Liberal victims are frontbenchers David Coleman, Michael Sukkar and Luke Howarth and backbenchers Keith Wolahan, Bridget Archer and Jenny Ware.Three more Liberal seats are in doubt, threatening a final seat tally of as little as 40 for the Coalition. On current projections, the Nationals would have more than a third of those seats.Also in doubt are all four of the seats held by the Greens, with Labor ahead in Brisbane, Griffith and Adam Bandt's seat of Melbourne, and the Liberals competitive in the seat of Ryan.The Greens are also in tight races for the Labor seats of Richmond and Wills.Two bright spots for the Coalition are Bendigo and Solomon, both races remaining close. And Labor is in tight contests with independents in the seats of Bean, Fremantle and Franklin.If Labor wins all the seats where it currently appears to be ahead, its tally could rise well above 90 seats.In the Senate, Labor is on track to gain three seats and could add to that tally, putting it within striking distance of being able to pass legislation with only the Greens.Jacqui Lambie and One Nation's Malcolm Roberts are locked in tight battles to retain their seats.LoadingLoading...Having trouble seeing this form? Try this link.Posted 1h ago1 hours agoSun 4 May 2025 at 12:37amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesLabor victory a 'win for the ages'Topic:ElectionsPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindLiberals begin dissection after ruinous lossTopic:Federal GovernmentPhoto shows Liberal Party launch in SydneyYour 4-minute guide to the federal election resultsTopic:ExplainerPhoto shows Anthony Albanese holds up his hands to calm the crowd.Labor gains seats across Queensland, picks up extra Senate seatTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows A woman in a felt hat smirks. What was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows An illustration of the map of Australia with multicoloured lines behind itPopular nowAlbanese gets warm welcome in electorate as Coalition confronts worst-ever resultLIVEPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindWhat was the result in your seat? Look up the map of your regionTopic:ElectionsPhoto shows An illustration of the map of Australia with multicoloured lines behind itLabor's victory showed it learnt lessons the Coalition did notLAnalysis by Laura TinglePhoto shows Albanese looks happily teary as he embraces his fianceeRelated topicsALPAustraliaAustralian GreensElectionsFederal GovernmentGovernment and PoliticsLiberal Party of AustraliaNational Party of AustraliaTop StoriesLabor victory a 'win for the ages'Topic:ElectionsPhoto shows Smiling Albanese with a coffee at a table with trees behindLiberals begin dissection after ruinous lossTopic:Federal GovernmentYour 4-minute guide to the federal election resultsTopic:ExplainerLabor gains seats across Queensland, picks up extra Senate seatTopic:ElectionsWhat was the result in your seat? 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