Veteran Sinn Féin representative Francie Molloy should have little to worry about when voters in Mid Ulster take to the polls later this month.
The seasoned campaigner has been the district’s MP since winning the seat vacated by former First Minister Martin McGuinness in a 2013 by-election.
The Mid-Ulster constituency has been in Sinn Féin’s grasp since 1997 when former DUP incumbent William McCrea was unseated by Mr McGuinness.
Although the boundaries have shifted over time, the constituency has traditionally been an important battleground for nationalists.
Half a century ago it was centre stage when a young Bernadette Devlin captured the seat in an important breakthrough at that time.
More than a decade earlier Sinn Féin won the seat for the first time with the election of Tom Mitchell.
Today the area, which extends from Lough Neagh to the Sperrin Mountains remains tactically important for republicans.
In 2017 Mr Molloy polled 25,455 votes, or 54.5 percent of the votes cast.
How Sinn Féin's decision to support abortion impacts on Mr Malloy's showing this time out remains to be seen.
His nearest rival is likely to be DUP MLA Keith Buchanan, who picked up 12,565 votes last time out.
The DUP man will be hopeful of holding his figures up.
The SDLPs 2017 candidate Malachy Quinn, who is a councillor in Mid Ulster, has stepped aside in favour of colleague Denise Johnston.
Mr Quinn polled 4,563 votes, pushing the party into third place in the constituency.
Ms Johnston narrowly missed out on a council seat during this year’s local elections.
The party will hope its decision to stand her in the Westminster polls will help boost her profile ahead of any future local elections.
The UUPs candidate is Neil Richardson.
He replaces sitting councillor Mark Glasgow on the ticket who two year ago secured 3,017 votes for his party.
Mr Richardson will hope to claw some of the ground lost to the DUP over recent years.
The Alliance Party’s Mel Boyle has it all to do to increase the 1,094 tally racked up by Fay Wilson in 2017.
Observers will be keen to see if the surge towards party leader Naomi Long in this year’s European elections will trickle down.
The final candidate on the card is independent Conor Rafferty.
Candidates
Mel Boyle (ALL)
Keith Buchanan (DUP)
Denise Johnston (SDLP)
Francie Molloy (SF)
Conor Rafferty (IND)
Neil Richardson (UUP)
2017 share of vote
SF - 54.5%
DUP - 26.9%
SDLP - 9.8%
UUP - 6.5%
Alliance - 2.3%
Electorate: 71,664
Majority: 12,890
