![\"Annika](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2e9fcefbc80c8ad1cb34d0094ab75209fd150d63.png\")
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n A well-known Bendigo publican has thrown his hat in the ring to challenge Premier Jacinta Allan in November\u2019s state election, ending months of speculation after he nearly pinched the overlapping federal seat from Labor last year.<\/p>\n Andrew Lethlean confirmed on Saturday that he would seek to be preselected as the National Party candidate in Bendigo East, a seat Allan has held since she was first elected in 1999.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had enough of this government and I don\u2019t think I am alone,\u201d Lethlean said in a social media post.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many people are doing it tough and things have to change.\u201d<\/p>\n The preselection closes on April 9, but Lethlean has drawn strong support from the party\u2019s leaders in recent months after his strong showing in last year\u2019s federal election, and looms as the most likely candidate.<\/p>\n At the 2022 federal poll, Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters convincingly won the seat with a 12.1 per cent margin. But her primary vote dropped to 33.6 per cent last year, as Lethlean polled 29.7 per cent and left Chesters hanging on with a narrow 1.4 per cent margin.<\/p>\n That came despite a nationwide swing to Labor, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a thumping majority with 94 seats in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n Lethlean argued on Saturday that the state government was \u201ccity-centric\u201d and \u201chad its priorities all wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cCrime is out of control, cost of living through the roof, local businesses are battling when they should be thriving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in this fabulous town. I remember the vibrant city, the busy streets where you felt safe and I had opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cSadly my kids don\u2019t understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n Allan was re-elected in Bendigo East with a convincing 10.8 per cent margin four years ago.<\/p>\n This year, however, her government is facing widespread voter malaise as Labor seeks to win a fourth consecutive term in power in Victoria.<\/p>\n The latest Resolve Political Monitor<\/a>, conducted for The Age over the first two months of this year, found Labor\u2019s primary vote was flat-lining at 28 per cent.<\/p>\n Related Article Only one in five respondents nominated Allan as their preferred premier \u2013 her lowest score on that measure since she took over from Daniel Andrews in 2023. Her net satisfaction rating registered at -37.<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1db1fa1cd73592940743f12d1b25800f6b549169.jpeg\")
Andrew Lethlean behind the bar at his Bendigo pub last year.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n![\"Jacinta](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ff4fd2d987fbcf49e92e5538eca03d43000912ea.jpeg\")
Jacinta Allan has brushed aside speculation about her leadership in recent weeks.Wayne Taylor<\/p>\n![\"Independent](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/88902ad20f22459dec95aad3993816c827be575d.jpeg\")
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