After another day strolling through wheat fields and fronting cameras on the campaign trail, Barnaby Joyce's path back to power still appears clear - but the coalition's future could be more complex.
"Citizen Joyce" - as he's now introduced around Tamworth - began Tuesday laying a wreath at a memorial for the Battle for Beersheba in the town's south.
While the priest lead a prayer for unity in society, family and the nation's leadership an array of news cameras watched Mr Joyce intently.
It wasn't until his next engagement, a pilot training announcement at Tamworth Airport with Mayor Col Murray, that he responded to a question about redrawing the terms of the coalition agreement if he regains his seat.
"That's all hypothetical. First thing I'm going to do is focus on winning the seat of New England."
"I think that's a good question to ask someone on December 3," he told AAP.
The coalition's composition will change if the Nationals' ousted deputy senator Fiona Nash is replaced by Liberal Hollie Hughes but questions have also been raised about her eligibility.
Ms Hughes' successor would reportedly also be a Liberal, meaning the Nationals are likely to lose a seat at the table even if Mr Joyce takes New England.
Further compounding the coalition's uncertainty, Liberal Senate President Stephen Parry signalled on Tuesday that he might have to quit parliament over his British ties.
But one near-certainty seems to be Mr Joyce's campaign.
With just over one month until votes are cast in the historically safe Nationals seat, Labor has only hinted at naming a candidate.
Mr Joyce's major rival Tony Windsor won't run, neither will the Shooters Fishers and Farmers or One Nation.
So far only a few independents have signed on to oppose the former deputy prime minister.
"What I'm hearing on the streets is that Barnaby appears to have a strong chance," Mr Murray told AAP.
The mayor said Mr Joyce was well-liked and supported in the conservative electorate, where Labor and the Greens combined received less than 10 per cent of the primary vote in 2016.
While sharing a beer in a shed outside Tamworth with wheat growers, Mr Joyce was at ease and in friendly company.
"He seems to listen to people out here," agronomist Greg Worland told AAP.
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