Katherine Deves makes a surprising decision about her political future after her failed and highly controversial election bid

A controversial political candidate for the Liberals who was convincingly beaten by an independent in Saturday’s election has confirmed she will continue in politics. 

Katherine Deves, who ran for the seat of Warringah but was beaten by incumbent MP Zali Steggall, said she will remain a member of the Liberals despite moderates in her own party wanting her dumped as a candidate. 

Ms Deves co-founded the Save Women’s Sport lobby and has previously aired controversial views on transgender people.

She said she was put on the backfoot in her campaign because of ‘relentless attacks from the media due to language I used, not the arguments I was prosecuting’. 

Katherine Deves (pictured) was a ‘captain’s pick’ for Warringah which is said to have angered many in the Liberal Party 

‘The fact I only suffered such a small swing against me, which was a far better result than surrounding electorates, is extraordinary and suggests I should continue,’ she told The Manly Daily.

The swing against the Liberals in Warringah was about 5 per cent compared with nearby North Sydney where there was a 12.7 per cent swing against sitting Liberal member Trent Zimmermann, and neighbouring Mackellar where sitting MP Jason Falinski was turfed on a swing of a 15.6 per cent. 

Ms Deves said her campaign was also hurt by ‘attacks from members of my own party and a disunified local (electoral) conference’. 

She was put forward as a so-called ‘captain’s pick’ for Warringah by Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, a move said to have angered local party faithful with many refusing to support her campaign. 

Ex-PM Tony Abbott helped campaign for Ms Deves in his old electorate (pictured) 

Ms Deves said she had run her campaign with a small handful of volunteers who were working other jobs. 

‘I was up against an incumbent on a parliamentary salary with a full complement of staff, a significant donation base and an army of ‘volunteers,’ she said.

Scott Morrison had personally spoken to her on several occasions during her campaign to reassure her when she felt ‘besieged’ by moderates in the party fighting against her, a campaign insider told the newspaper. 

She previously told Sky News she was ‘not going anywhere’ after her election defeat.

‘I would like to say to my detractors that when they thought I could not withstand the storm, that I am the storm.’

In a statement released Monday, Ms Deves said she ‘intends to continue her involvement’ both in the Liberal Party and in politics.

Ms Deves (pictured) co-founded Save Women’s Sport to lobby against transgender athletes being allowed to compete in women’s sporting events