Hawthorn has usually been a safe seat for the
Liberal Party and its predecessors, having been held by a number of leaders and senior ministers. In the 1960s, the seat of Hawthorn included parts of working class
Richmond, making it less secure for the Liberals than in recent decades. With the exception of two occasions when Liberal MPs defected and sat as independents, it has only been held by non-Liberal MPs three times in its history: independent
Leslie Hollins from 1940 to 1945, Labor-turned-Labor (Anti-Communist) MP
Charles Murphy from 1952 to 1955, and Labor MP
John Kennedy in 2018. Kennedy's victory over Liberal MP
John Pesutto at the
2018 state election was considered a shock, with
Guardian Australia saying he had "little chance" going into the election. Pesutto was a panelist on
ABC on election night when he was told on live television that he had lost his seat. Pesutto re-contested Hawthorn at the
2022 state election, defeating Kennedy and
teal independent candidate Melissa Lowe. He is the current member, as well as a former leader of the
Victorian Liberal Party. Notable former members for Hawthorn include former
premiers Sir William McPherson and
Ted Baillieu, as well as
Walter Jona, a minister in the
Hamer government. ==Members for Hawthorn==