The tight contest between the Nationals’ Steph Cooke, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ Matthew Stadtmiller and Country Labor’s Charlie Sheahan means whomever becomes the next Member for Cootamundra will likely rely on preferences to get across the line.

Shooters MP Robert Borsak hit back at the “desperate” National Party after Deputy Premier decried Australia First’s Jim Saleam last week. 

“The National Party is clearly desperate when they resort to these sorts of scare tactics based on lies and fear,” Mr Borsak said.

“If any of their Members of Parliament, staff or supporters had read my comments online they would have seen we ruled out supporting Dr Jim Saleam. 

“The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party will not support Dr Saleam in the Cootamundra by-election and we will not preference him if he runs."

Mr Borsak said the final how-to-vote cards had not yet been decided, but he had directed the party to not even include a preference for Dr Saleam in any material produced. 

“New South Wales elections are optional preferential,” he said. “People can preference as many or as few candidates as they prefer to.”

Shooters by-election candidate Matthew Stadtmiller said people in the electorate weren’t concerned about these distractions. 

“I’ve been travelling throughout the electorate during this campaign, and I can tell you that nobody is asking me about preferencing,” he said.

“What matters to people are the rising costs of living, the state government’s inaction on electricity supply causing power bills to rise, and whether their local Police Station will be staffed 24/7 after commands are re-engineered. "

But Nationals candidate Steph Cooke said it was a fact Mr Stadtmiller retweeted an ad calling for the Nationals to be put last on ballot papers.

“It was the Shooters Party that promoted that tweet over their network,” she said.

“They are very brave when they stand up, but they go running when they are caught in a bad situation.”

National Party campaign director Ross Cadell said they would ask people to put a one beside the candidate of their choosing.

“We shouldn't get the last candidate left standing, the people of Cootamundra should get the candidate that most people want,” he said.

“If they are serious the Shooters should guarantee to do the same.”