With considerably more political savvy than Perigo, Bradford denounced Act as an extreme right-wing party dedicated to finishing the job which Douglas had started. No matter how hard it tried, the Act Party was never able to convince the nation that Bradford’s definition was mistaken. Kept in Parliament by its “Epsom Deal” with the National Party, Act seemed likely to fade into obscurity as a one-MP “appendage party”. From a risible 13,000 party votes in 2017, David Seymour’s party garnered a remarkable 219,000 votes in 2020 – beating Prebble’s best result (7%) by half a percentage point. Seymour’s stewardship of the Act Party since 2020 has for the most part been exemplary.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 11, 2023 00:50 UTC