Chris Minns’ narrow road to victory proves a winning formula with NSW voters

Gains in seats in Sydney's west - even among previously safe Liberal seats - show Labor leader correctly picked mood of the state

• Chris Minns leads Labor to power after 12 years in opposition
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When the Labor leader, Chris Minns, spoke to the Guardian for a piece back in January, the aspiring New South Wales premier pushed back on the notion he had run an uninspiring campaign.

Minns has been criticised throughout his leadership for a lack of ambition. The party refused to back the Coalition's ambitious push for gambling reform and had stuck to a narrow election platform focused on essential services and public sector wages, as it also attacked the government for its record on privatisation.