High-profile left wing influencer announces she is running against Anthony Albanese in his own seat

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 14:46, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 14:46, 27 July 2026 The founder of a left-wing media company will challenge Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by running for his electorate at the next federal election. Hannah Ferguson, founder of Cheek Media, on Monday confirmed reports she would be contesting for the lower house seat of Grayndler, in inner-west Sydney, as an independent. Ferguson, 28, has already held a series of engagement events and plans to hold more to better understand the needs of the community. 'I believe we deserve better representation,' she wrote online. 'I'm not here to play politics, that is just another reason Australians are fed up with the political party machinery. 'My intention is to keep running local events, keep listening to feedback and to keep learning from my community.' Albanese has held the seat since 1996 and Grayndler has been a Labor stronghold since it was formed in 1949. At the 2025 election, Albanese won 66 per cent of votes.  Hannah Ferguson, founder of Cheek Media, will run for Anthony Albanese's seat of Grayndler The seat of Grayndler has been held by Albanese (above) since 1996 With the tall order ahead of her, Ferguson plans to temporarily step back from Cheek Media. 'It is already challenging to navigate political candidacy with this small business that I have grown for the last six years,' she wrote. 'It is my intention to step away from the business at some stage next year to campaign full-time.' Ferguson first aired her intention to head into politics during an address to the National Press Club last year. She'd initially wanted to run for a NSW Senate seat but believed a position in the lower house was more achievable at the next federal election, to be held by May 2028. Last week the Cheek founder said her running for Grayndler wasn't an attempt to 'topple the prime minister'.  'This is not a direct personal attack on him, but he is a representative and part of that system that I think needs to be challenged,' Ferguson told the Australian Financial Review. Ferguson has previously taken aim at Albanese for his refusal to ban online gambling advertising or slap a 25 per cent tax on gas exports. Ferguson (above) will run a series of community engagement events to prepare for her run In February she went so far as to call him a 'bootlicker' and 'p***-weak' for calling former Australian of the Year Grace Tame 'difficult'. Ferguson believed it was Albanese's move from the left to centrist that could cost him popularity in Grayndler. 'I think we need to be existing in this kind of mentality now in Australian politics that no seat is safe,' she said. 'That is the superpower I have, wanting to consistently hear from people who may think that I have wild views – but actually, I want to talk about practical reality. I think that the major parties are letting us down, and there needs to be alternates that aren't One Nation.'