Daniel Andrews vindicated in Victorian election that became a referendum on his pandemic response

Labor's win allows Andrews to reshape his legacy, with his third term allowing him to become the party's longest-serving premier

• Hope always defeats hate': Labor's Daniel Andrews returned as premier in 2022 Victoria state election
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If the Victorian election was indeed - as the opposition framed it - a referendum on Daniel Andrews, voters have resoundingly backed the premier and his response to the pandemic.

At the time of writing, Labor looks on track to secure 50 of Victoria's 88 lower house seats, just five short of its emphatic 2018 Danslide" victory.