Liberal senator Eric Abetz is staying tight-lipped on a supporter-run campaign urging Tasmanians to vote below the line, despite having previously lashed such tactics as "destabilising".
Former state parliament candidate Grant Dunham has endorsed unbranded signs spruiking Senator Abetz, who was demoted to the difficult to win third spot on the Tasmanian Liberals' Senate ticket after losing a preselection battle against colleagues Jonathon Duniam and Wendy Askew.
When Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck slipped to fifth on the Senate ticket in 2016, causing him to lose his seat, Senator Abetz denounced a grassroots campaign run in his support.
"The destabilising, below-the-line campaign run by [Senator Colbeck supporter] Richard Bovill and others undermined the team message of stability," he said in a letter to Senate selectors after the election.
This week, Senator Abetz's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Mr Dunham's campaign.
In a statement, Mr Dunham said Senator Abetz had a record "second to none".
"Tasmania can't afford to lose him, so I'm doing my bit to keep him working for Tasmania," he said.
"I'm doing this on a personal basis, not a party basis."
Mr Dunham did not respond to questions about whether Senator Abetz was involved nor about who was paying for the campaign.
Lawyer and businessman Ian Roberts has bought campaign signs for his properties, and hosted a fundraiser dinner attended by Senator Abetz and former prime minister Tony Abbott at his Riversdale Estate winery last week.
He described Senator Abetz's demotion as "absolutely appalling" and "woke-ism at its worst".
"I've known Eric since uni days and we need conservative politicians who do what they say they're going to do and work for the community," Mr Roberts said.
Poll analyst Kevin Bonham said Senator Abetz faced an uphill battle to retain the seat he has held for 28 years.
"We finally get to see an actual test of Eric Abetz's popular support after him being on top of the ticket forever," Dr Bonham said.
"It's difficult for him to get enough below-the-line support to effectively become the second candidate [for the Tasmanian Liberals]. That requires a higher vote than [former Labor senator] Lisa Singh was getting, and I don't think that's likely."
Speaking on commercial radio last year, Senator Abetz said he had fallen victim to "ageism and sexism" in being ranked below Senator Duniam and Senator Askew.
At the Tasmanian Liberal campaign launch on Sunday, Senator Duniam batted away questions on his former boss's place on the Senate ticket.
"There is one thing Tasmanians need to know about their Tasmanian Liberal senate team and that is we are united to ensure we return three senators to the senate after this election," he said.
