A Labor rival to Matt Keogh's bid to win preselection for the new West Australian federal seat of Burt has pulled out.
Pierre Yang, a City of Gosnells councillor and fellow lawyer, has told AAP he had decided to withdraw.
Mr Keogh lost the battle for Canning in September to Liberal Andrew Hastie, but achieved a swing of 6.86 per cent to Labor.
Mr Yang said he was pulling out "for the good of the Labor Party".
"One of the things I'm proud of with the Labor Party is we are not afraid of debate and discussion," he said in a Facebook post.
Despite his contest with Mr Keogh being brief, Mr Yang said it had been exciting and his rival had run a good campaign for the seat of Canning.
"I give Mr Keogh my full support and wish him the best of luck in the upcoming federal election," Mr Yang said.
"He is a man of Labor values and has a connection to the local community.
"I know he can win Burt, and I know that with his help Labor can form the next government."
Member for Perth Alannah MacTiernan said Mr Yang had shown "great decency".
"You always had an excellent story to tell as a candidate, and you have recognised that the Canning campaign resulted in Matt gaining a significant profile for Labor," she wrote on the page.
"I have absolutely no doubt it will not be long before you are representing Labor in parliament."
Mr Yang said he had wanted to represent his local area for as long as he could remember but would remain a City of Gosnells councillor and a member of the Australian Army Reserve.
Share
