The myriad candidates entering the Super City mayoral race could spell problems for Len Brown as they fragment his support and split the anti-John Banks vote, a union leader has said.
The number of candidates entering the Super City mayoral race is growing as the deadline for nominations nears.
Auckland City Mayor John Banks and Manukau City Mayor Len Brown remain the firm favourites.
North Shore Mayor Andrew Williams has also put his hand up for the role, with interest also from former actor Simon Prast, property manager Colin Craig, water campaigner Penny Bright and comedian Ewen Gilmour.
Rich-lister Tenby Powell has also said he is ready to announce his bid for the role if Banks continues to slide in popularity polls.
Political commentators Matthew Hooton, who represents the right-wing, and Matt McCarten, on the left, say they don't expect the extra competition to make much impact.
Mr McCarten, head of the Unite union, said he thought the extra campaigners would help Mr Banks.
He said those supporting the former National Cabinet minister were "blue, business eastern suburbs" types who were more likely to vote, while Mr Brown's supporters were less likely to.
"When the polling gets done, it's asking them who they support. What it doesn't take into fact is that at the last election, less than 40 per cent of the [Greater Auckland] area voted.
"When they ask them on a phone: 'Who would you support?' they go: 'Len', [but] will they get out and vote? Only one in three will.
"What all these other guys are coming in and doing is they're splitting the anti-Banks vote. Simon Prast will take a liberal arty pro-drug crowd which won't vote for Banks anyway. Ewen [Gilmour] will get the 'f*** you' vote and you're always going to get that ... and they also won't vote for Banks.
"The other one is Penny Bright ... they'll be Brown's votes. If they weren't going to vote for her they'd vote for Brown. And Williams is the same.
"All these extra candidates all coming in will help Banks and will starve off any serious right-winger from jumping into the ring."
Mr McCarten said he expected about 20 people would be in the running for the mayoralty and more would be announcing their bids during the next month before the election in October.
Both agreed that Simon Prast's admission in a Sunday newspaper that he had tried the drug P may secure him votes from those wanting a liberal approach to drugs. Mr Hooton said that none of the new contenders was likely to get very far.
"I don't think that any of the new candidates will make a difference at all. I think it's still a two-horse race between Banks and Brown. To my eyes, they're the only two credible candidates with a party machine of sorts behind them."
He said that many of the candidates did not have name recognition or, if they did, as in the case Mr Williams, there was controversy attached to that name.
"They might all get people who may not have otherwise voted or they might neck one another out."
The deadline for entering the race is August 20 and the the election date is Saturday, October 9.
Brown's voice getting lost in crush: expert
Simon Prast's admission he had tried the drug P may secure him votes from those wanting a liberal approach to drugs. Photo / Richard Robinson
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