Countless figures have expressed their hopes of occupying the two vacant positions in the Liberal Party Senate. The Arthur Sinodino and Mitch Fifie were tapped as ambassadors in the United States that resulted that will lead to the Senate vacancies.
Karina Okotel is amongst the contenders vying for the Victorian seat. She is a prominent anti-gay activist and led a campaign against same-sex marriage known as the No campaign. A colleague of hers accused Okotel of “malicious” behavior. She was a Senate candidate back in 2016 but her candidacy proved unsuccessful.
As a legal aid lawyer and the federal vice president of the Liberal Party, Okotel is determined to occupy the seat that will soon be left vacant by Senator Fifield.
Source: ABC News: Luke Stephenson
Her competition for the unoccupied Senate seat will be a fierce one against Sarah Henderson. Henderson was unable to retain her House of Representative seat of Corangamite when she lost the May 18 election. Henderson announced her senatorial candidacy yesterday.
Despite the stiff competition, Okotel remains hopeful and believes the ongoing factional war in the Victorian branch of the liberal party will prove beneficial to her. The factional war could pave way for the conservative rank to seize final say.
Aside from her firm stance against marriage equality, Okotel continues to be known for facing attacks from her own colleagues. One went as far as to leaking an email and directly accusing her of misconduct last February. The Liberal Party vice president denied any claims of misconduct and is open to an internal investigation.