PAUL Toole continues to be one of the Teflon men of Central West politics.
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While The Nationals brand has suffered incredible damage in the past four years, Mr Toole's enduring personal popularity in this electorate has made him seemingly immune to external influences.
At the 2015 state election, the Nationals recorded strong victories in Orange (Andrew Gee, with a margin of 21.7 per cent), Dubbo (Troy Grant, with a margin of 20.4 per cent) and Bathurst (Mr Toole, with a margin of 15.8 per cent).
The Central West was an undisputed heartland for the Nationals, and looked destined to be so for many years to come.
How quickly things can change.
Fast forward four years and it's possible that Bathurst will be the last seat standing for the Nationals in the Central West.
Orange was very narrowly lost to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party's Phil Donato at a by-election in 2017 and Mr Donato was returned comfortably on Saturday night, while Mr Grant's retirement from politics pitched newcomer Dugald Saunders into a contest with independent Mathew Dickerson in Dubbo.
We don't yet know the winner in that contest but it will be decided by a matter of votes either way, with Mr Grant's 20 per cent margin a distant memory.
The Orange by-election loss reflected the community's anger over the Coalition Government's forced council amalgamations policy and its attempts to shut down the state's greyhound racing industry, and those factors have likely ha an impact in Dubbo as well.
Through it all, though, Mr Toole has emerged all-but unscathed [a drop in primary votes in Oberon notwithstanding], despite leading the forced amalgamations push as then local government minister.
It is a triumph of personality over party, and many booth workers on Saturday heard voters say "I don't support the Nationals, I support Paul Toole", or similar.
That personal popularity is demoralising for his opponents who found it hard to land a blow on Mr Toole during the Bathurst campaign.
And assuming there are now amalgamations or greyhound racing landmines coming in the next four years, it's hard to see what could change come 2023.
By then Mr Toole will have held the seat of Bathurst for 12 years and, on current voting trends, it looks like the seat will remain his for as long as he wants it.