A week out from the election, independent candidate Stuart Bonds says he is "not feeling it" when it comes to talk of an upset result in the seat of Hunter.
The coalminer and former One Nation candidate has been standing this week at the Singleton pre-poll booth handing out how-to-vote cards and gauging the reaction of voters.
"It could be an upset. I'm just not feeling it, though, on the ground," Mr Bonds said on Friday."
Labor's Dan Repacholi remains a $1.30 favourite with the bookmakers to beat the Nationals' James Thomson ($3.25) in Hunter as voter surveys predict the Opposition will enjoy a large enough swing to form government in its own right next Saturday.
Local Labor MPs reported an absence of hostility towards leader Anthony Albanese or Labor policies at pre-poll this week, a stark contrast to the animosity towards Bill Shorten and negative gearing and franking credits proposals in 2019.
"I'm not hearing anything negative," Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said.
"I think the young people are coming back to us. Last time it was Scott Morrison the daggy dad, but they're saying they won't vote for him again."
Liberal challenger Brooke Vitnell said voters had been "very positive" at the East Maitland and Port Stephens pre-poll stations this week.
Mr Thomson said the result in Hunter would be "very close" and his "gauge has been really good on the pre-poll booths".
Mr Bonds, who is preferencing the Nationals above Labor, agreed voters did not appear as hostile to the Opposition this year.
"I think Albo's done a good job sort of walking back the Bill Shorten rhetoric where Bill just wouldn't say the word coalmining," he said.
"Albo's softened that message up a lot.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it will go back to Labor in a marginal way. Similar result to last time. I can't see a huge surge back to Labor.
"The Nats did a lot more work down around the lake and 7000 people have moved to the Hunter. What type of voters they are, I don't know."
He said keeping the seat marginal would be a win for non-Labor candidates "because they can't neglect it".
"If you get a Labor government, the seat's almost better off staying Labor, because they'll be more inclined to spend the money in the area and push Dan back up into a strong position."
