The toughest job in politics is on the market yet again, and there's no obvious candidate in the National Party to take up the role.
Bill English will stand down as Opposition Leader in two weeks, initiating a leadership vote among the party's 56 MPs.
But there's a problem - there's no obvious successor.
When John Key resigned it was fairly obvious Mr English should succeed him, and Sir John endorsed him for the run. Mr English has decided not to endorse a candidate - probably because there is no clear front runner.
For the next two weeks the most ambitious in the party will be running the numbers trying to shore up support - something that could prove difficult if there are a number of candidates. It has the potential to divide what has, for nine years, been a united caucus.
Here are some of the contenders.
Paula Bennett - as Deputy, Ms Bennett has to be recognised as a contender and a while back, the job seemed hers. But disquiet among the caucus about her performance as deputy has been leaking out. That would indicate she’s not a favourite.
Simon Bridges - Mr Bridges played the last leadership contest brilliantly. Instead of taking Mr English head on, he played the long game - took the next generation under his wing and threw his hat in the ring for deputy. He has been in the spotlight for running circles around Labour in the opening weeks of Parliament. Strong contender.
Judith Collins - Never ever rule out Judith Collins. She is fiercely competitive and is thriving in opposition. MPs could see her as an attack dog to take on Jacinda Ardern and if she fails, she's a sacrificial lamb for 2020 until they have a solid next leader in mind.
Steven Joyce - The campaign man and political mastermind. Behind both John Key and Bill English he was the man making big political calls. If National wants more of the same, Mr Joyce could be their guy.
Amy Adams - Clearly competent, she had some of the most difficult portfolios under Bill English. He trusted her as a fix-it woman. She has also landed solid strikes against the Government.
Jonathan Coleman - He ran against Bill English for the leadership, selling himself as the "generational change" the party needed, but some could take that challenge against Mr English as an act of treason. There are fresher faces that will run this line.
Mark Mitchell - He is very well-liked among the caucus, a reasonably fresh face, having only entered in the 2014 intake. He’s one of the four amigos - the guys who run numbers, and that is a huge asset. He's tough, too - a former cop, dog handler and ran a private security company in Iraq.
Nikki Kaye - More of a contender for deputy. She's ruled out leadership ambitions numerous times in the past, but then so did Jacinda Ardern and, well, you know the rest. Ms Kaye is not the most popular amongst National Party staffers.
Suspiciously, Judith Collins arrived late to the announcement, and Jonathan Coleman did not show up, even though he is at Parliament today.
Simon Bridges, Nikki Kaye and Amy Adams were also nowhere to be seen, it is understood Mr Bridges is stuck in Tauranga as flights out have been cancelled for the past couple of days.
But Mr English said nothing should be taken from who attended.
Ms Bennett wouldn’t answer when asked by Newshub whether she would run for the leadership.
Newshub.
