Labor to announce candidate for seat of Calare ahead of upcoming Federal Election

But with the federal election a little over four weeks away, the late announcement means the Labor candidate, who will hail from Lithgow, will have a major task to boost their profile in the safe Nationals seat.

But Cr Jennings, who unsuccessfully contested Calare for Labor in the past three federal elections, said the candidate will be an excellent match for both incumbent Nationals MP Andrew Gee and independent candidate Kate Hook, who has so far emerged as Mr Gee's main competition.

"The candidate will be an excellent match against both the incumbent MP and independent challenger," he said.

"She hails from the Lithgow side of the electorate, where she has plenty of support, and the fact she's from a health background will resonate with voters who have felt let down by federal health support, especially in Bathurst and Lithgow.

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"The candidate has been in the wings for quite some time, but from what I understand, there's been a delay in the head office finalising candidates, as Labor goes through a strong vetting process to lock in the best possible candidates."

The delay in announcing a Labor candidate has been a point of curiosity across the Calare electorate, especially considering Cr Jennings announced his candidacy five months prior to the 2019 poll.

But Cr Jennings doesn't feel Labor's late entry to the Calare race will significantly impact votes for the party across the electorate.

"At this stage, Calare is still a safe Coalition seat, but if the Labor candidate can eat into that margin significantly, the electorate may get better results in the future from a policy perspective," he said.

"It's all about putting good policies out there and listening to the community, which is a stark contrast to what we've seen from the Morrison government; a federal ICAC is long overdue."

In past federal elections, Labor has fared better in Bathurst and Lithgow as opposed to Orange, where the National vote has been relatively untroubled.

But with a swing of 13.3 per cent towards the Nationals, it is unlikely Mr Gee will lose his seat regardless of who forms government, however a reduced margin is entirely possible.