Maria Kovacic: former NSW Liberal president will replace Jim Molan in Senate as Andrew Constance’s bid fails

A former president of the New South Wales Liberal party will fill the Senate vacancy left by Jim Molan, who died of prostate cancer in January.

Maria Kovacic, who resigned from her official party position to run for the NSW Senate seat, defeated her closest challenger, Andrew Constance, a former NSW cabinet minister.

“Maria Kovacic is a formidable woman and a fitting replacement for the late, great Major General Jim Molan,” the federal deputy Liberal leader, Sussan Ley, said on Saturday.

Ley said the addition of another woman to the Liberal ranks in federal parliament would help rectify a…