In late July of 2008 photographer John Lake noticed the Labour Party campaign team for Wellington Central move into an office across the road from his studio. A spur of the moment decision to ask if he could document the campaign trail to the November 8 election led to three months of intense photography that has resulted in a book and exhibition. The 120 pages of The Candidate includes portraits of all 14 candidates plus 30 other individuals ranging from campaign managers to anarchists. This is accompanied by 70 pages documenting the campaign trail for the Wellington Central electorate. Ranging from public meetings in student flats to community hall debates and street corner heckling of opposing teams this book offers both a concise record of the 2008 Wellington Central campaign and also a wider picture of how people engage in contemporary New Zealand democracy.