ROMPING home with more than 24,000 votes in the last Westminster poll, not even Brexit or an expenses investigation is likely to put a dent in Jim Shannon's fortunes in retaining his DUP seat in Strangford.
The former butcher is standing again after his staggering success in 2017 - where he took over 60 per cent of the vote - but this time round his MP spending is under the spotlight.
An investigation was ordered in June by a parliamentary watchdog after it emerged Mr Shannon last year racked up a £240,000 expenses bill - more than any other MP - while his official parliamentary credit card has been suspended 13 times since 2015.
Despite the probe, Mr Shannon remains a hugely popular figure in a constituency which has been a DUP stronghold since 2001 when Iris Robinson overturned the Ulster Unionist's dominance.
One of his nearest rivals last time round, former Ulster leader Mike Nesbitt, admitted it was "mission impossible" in trying to close the enormous gap against the DUP in "one campaign".
Mr Nesbitt also scotched rumours of a unionist pact after Mr Shannon supported the idea post victory.
This time the UUP's candidate is Philip Smith, a high-profile Comber councillor and former mayor of Ards Council, who is heavily involved in the town's regeneration project.
He says he will "totally oppose" any steps to treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK under the current Brexit deal.
The majority of Strangford voters endorsed Brexit - with the constituency having the second highest leave vote at 55.5 per cent, second only to North Antrim.
However, the swing from unionist to other parties over the past decade and alarm at the impact of a no-deal Brexit on farming and business communities could serve as a boost for Alliance's Kelly Armstrong, who came second to Mr Shannon in 2017 with 5,693 votes, and whose party enjoyed a major surge in May's council elections.
Also in the running is veteran SDLP councillor Joe Boyle, Sinn Féin's Ryan Carlin and the Green Party's Maurice Macartney.
In 2017, both UKIP and the NI Conservative party withdrew from the race but this time they are fielding Robert Stephenson and Grant Abraham.
On the doorsteps, the fallout from health service crisis remains an issue with one of its main acute hospitals, the Ulster in Dundonald, tackling some of the worst A&E waiting times.
Concerns about cuts to the education budget in many smaller school have been raised as well as fears about job security in Bombardier's satellite factory in Newtownards.
The biggest gripe unsurprisingly is voters' frustration with Stormont's collapse and uncertainty post-Brexit.
While apathy and a pre-Christmas polling date may affect turnout, it seems the DUP candidate is assured of a return to Westminster.
Candidates:
Grant Abraham, (Cons)
Kellie Armstrong, (ALL)
Joe Boyle, (SDLP)
Ryan Carlin, (SF)
Maurice Macartney, (Greens)
Jim Shannon, (DUP)
Philip Smith, (UUP)
Robert Stephenson, (UKIP)
2017 share of vote
DUP - 62%
Alliance - 14.7%
UUP - 11.4%
SDLP - 6.2%
SF - 2.8%
Green Party - 1.6%
Conservate - 1.3%
Electorate: 66,391
Majority: 18,343
