‘Biggest Factor Was Dutton’: Labor Strategist Explains Election Win

Strategist Paul Erickson says Labor’s return was powered by regained economic trust, a focused strategy, and a prime minister who was ‘in his element.’

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gestures with his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan after winning the general election at the Labor Party election night event in Sydney, Australia on May 3, 2025. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Labor campaign director Paul Erickson has credited Anthony Albanese’s leadership style, and public unease about Peter Dutton’s record and temperament as key to securing the government’s second-term victory.

Unveiling Labor’s post-election blueprint at the National Press Club on May 21, Erickson said the campaign hinged on five elements: the government’s three year delivery record and an ambitious plan for the future, focusing on Medicare, portraying Labor as being able to handle the economy, Prime Minister Albanese’s personal appeal, and, decisively, voter concern about the “risk Peter Dutton represented.”

“Albo was in his element, connecting with everyday people and enjoying it,” Erickson said. “And while the prime minister was telling a positive story about who we are and where we’re going, Peter Dutton was gloomy about the country.”

But it was Dutton, he said, who helped define the contrast.

‘Dutton Was the 5th And Biggest Factor’

While acknowledging the government’s early vulnerabilities—particularly the Coalition’s summer polling lead—Erickson said the tide turned when voters were presented with a clearer choice.