Labor's Canning candidate Mellisa Teede has remained positive for the future and thanked her supporters after a defeat in the 2019 federal election.
Despite launching her campaign in February 2018, Ms Teede experienced the grisly side of elections on Saturday night when results started trickling in from across the electorate.
Surrounded by Labor supporters at Sunbreakers Restaurant, Ms Teede stayed confident and stated she wasn't going to "close any doors before the final count".
However, her hope was distinguished as numbers began to stack up in the Coalition's favour locally and nationally.
As the votes were still being counted on Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was sitting in the box seat to form a majority government.
Ms Teede was one of a crop of eight candidates who stepped up to contest the seat held by the high-profile conservative, and eventual victor, Andrew Hastie.
On election day, Ms Teede said a majority of people coming through polling booths were not taking how-to-vote cards.
"About 30 per cent of people were walking through and weren't taking anything. None of us knew how to read that," she said.
"On the ground, I felt like it was going to come down to the wire."
She attributed the swing against Labor to the rising profile of small and minor parties.
"Obviously they either voted One Nation or Clive Palmer. I think a lot of those, obviously, preferenced back through to Andrew," she said.
For more than a year, Ms Teede has been door-knocking around the region on her campaign trail in hope ofg closing-in on the incumbent.
Initially, the party set a goal of taking five seats state-wide. However, in the lead-up that goal appeared increasingly out of grasp.
"We had hope that at least we could put a really good dent into the Liberal swing here," she said.
"That was probably our biggest disappointment."
On the night when results were coming through, Ms Teede said she was shocked.
"In a community like Canning, I think that played out very very strongly. So that was a big shock, but it wasn't just here it was right across the nation," she said.
"I was also most concerned about the people who had worked alongside me for all of that time. They had worked so hard and they were devastated.
"I was devastated but even more so for them. For those people who really wanted to see a change."
Going forward, Ms Teede said she wanted the Coalition to deliver on the promises they pitched across the campaign.
"I think the message I'd like to say to Andrew Hastie and to the Morrison government is - they've made a lot of commitments. Now, I hope they deliver because there's a lot of people in this community who have a lot of needs. They need to be listened to and supported," she said.
"It's not just my supporters, there's still a very large section of this community that did want to see a change of government and were really pinning hopes on Labor to make a difference to their lives."
For now, Ms Teede said she would remain living in Mandurah and would find an alternative way to contribute to the community.
"This experience has been one of the most-rewarding experiences of my life," she said.
"I've spoken to thousands of people and people have opened up to me and told me some of their most deepest and personal life challenges. That has been something that has changed my life.
"[It] became very evident to me that there are a lot of people in our community who, I think, need far greater attention and support than they have been given in the past few years.
"I want to make sure, at this stage of my life, that I can continue to contribute in some way. Particularly, for people who are most marginalised and disadvantaged.
"If there is a role I can play a substantive role in the community, then I'll be the first to put my hand up."
When asked if she would run for office again, Ms Teede said she was not "going to rule anything in or out".
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