One Nation’s James Ashby Considers Running for Central Queensland Seat
By Chloe · Published 24 Oct 2026 · Updated 24 Oct 2026
Capricornia, QLD
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One Nation’s James Ashby Considers Running for Central Queensland Seat - Capricornia, QLD
Smart summary
One Nation national director James Ashby is considering contesting the federal seat of Capricornia after sitting MP Michelle Landry announced her retirement. The potential contest could become a major political battle...
James Ashby, the national director of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party, has confirmed he is considering running for the federal electorate of Capricornia at the next Australian election. His possible candidacy follows the announcement by long-serving Nationals MP Michelle Landry that she will retire from federal politics at the next election.
The vacancy has opened the way for a potentially competitive contest in central Queensland. Nationals leader Matt Canavan is also considering seeking preselection for Capricornia, which could create a significant challenge for the major parties and One Nation.
Ashby told the ABC that business and community members had approached him over recent months and encouraged him to stand. He said he had not ruled out running, but the Capricornia branch of One Nation would ultimately decide the party's candidate.
Ashby is a close political ally of Hanson and has previously served as her chief of staff. He lives on the Capricorn Coast and has already experienced electoral campaigning, having unsuccessfully contested the Queensland state seat of Keppel at the 2024 state election.
His possible move into federal politics comes at a time when One Nation has recorded a substantial increase in national polling support. The party's primary vote reached 28 per cent in the latest Newspoll reported by the ABC on Thursday, placing it close to Labor, which recorded 29 per cent. The Coalition was on 20 per cent in the same poll. These figures represent polling intentions rather than actual election results.
Capricornia is particularly important because One Nation has already established a voter base in the region. At the 2025 federal election, the party received 15.5 per cent of the primary vote in the electorate, while Landry retained the seat for the Liberal National Party. The latest polling suggests One Nation could attempt to build on that result at the next election.
Hanson has also signalled the party's interest in strengthening its local presence. Earlier in 2026, she announced that One Nation was looking at opening an electorate office in Yeppoon, on the Capricorn Coast. A local office could help the party engage with residents and establish a stronger organisational network.
Canavan's potential candidacy adds another dimension to the contest. As Nationals leader, he would bring significant political experience, but Ashby has questioned whether Canavan could campaign effectively across the large electorate while also managing the responsibilities of leading his party.
Canavan has not confirmed whether he will seek LNP preselection for Capricornia. The party is expected to make an announcement about its candidate in due course.
Landry's retirement marks the end of a lengthy period representing the electorate. Her departure creates an opportunity for the Nationals to retain the seat, but the growing support for One Nation could make the next campaign more challenging.
No final decision has been made by Ashby about his candidacy. The eventual contest is likely to depend on candidate selections, local issues, party campaigning and whether One Nation can translate its improved national polling into votes in central Queensland.
NationPartyAshbyElectionCapricornia
James Ashby, the national director of Pauline Hanson's One Nation party, has confirmed he is considering running for the federal electorate of Capricornia at the next Australian election. His possible candidacy follows the announcement by long-serving Nationals MP Michelle Landry that she will retire from federal politics at the next election.
The vacancy has opened the way for a potentially competitive contest in central Queensland. Nationals leader Matt Canavan is also considering seeking preselection for Capricornia, which could create a significant challenge for the major parties and One Nation.
Ashby told the ABC that business and community members had approached him over recent months and encouraged him to stand. He said he had not ruled out running, but the Capricornia branch of One Nation would ultimately decide the party's candidate.
Ashby is a close political ally of Hanson and has previously served as her chief of staff. He lives on the Capricorn Coast and has already experienced electoral campaigning, having unsuccessfully contested the Queensland state seat of Keppel at the 2024 state election.
His possible move into federal politics comes at a time when One Nation has recorded a substantial increase in national polling support. The party's primary vote reached 28 per cent in the latest Newspoll reported by the ABC on Thursday, placing it close to Labor, which recorded 29 per cent. The Coalition was on 20 per cent in the same poll. These figures represent polling intentions rather than actual election results.
Capricornia is particularly important because One Nation has already established a voter base in the region. At the 2025 federal election, the party received 15.5 per cent of the primary vote in the electorate, while Landry retained the seat for the Liberal National Party. The latest polling suggests One Nation could attempt to build on that result at the next election.
Hanson has also signalled the party's interest in strengthening its local presence. Earlier in 2026, she announced that One Nation was looking at opening an electorate office in Yeppoon, on the Capricorn Coast. A local office could help the party engage with residents and establish a stronger organisational network.
Canavan's potential candidacy adds another dimension to the contest. As Nationals leader, he would bring significant political experience, but Ashby has questioned whether Canavan could campaign effectively across the large electorate while also managing the responsibilities of leading his party.
Canavan has not confirmed whether he will seek LNP preselection for Capricornia. The party is expected to make an announcement about its candidate in due course.
Landry's retirement marks the end of a lengthy period representing the electorate. Her departure creates an opportunity for the Nationals to retain the seat, but the growing support for One Nation could make the next campaign more challenging.
No final decision has been made by Ashby about his candidacy. The eventual contest is likely to depend on candidate selections, local issues, party campaigning and whether One Nation can translate its improved national polling into votes in central Queensland.
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