However, nominations for the seat closed abruptly as the Liberals were contesting the byelection for the local state seat of Pittwater earlier this month. Stokes was heavily involved in the campaign of Liberal candidate Georgia Ryburn, who had also been courted to consider a federal tilt.
The candidates who contested the preselection in Mackellar included Michael Gencher, the Australian executive director of Israel advocacy group StandWithUs, former Qantas pilot and founder of Pandora Jewellery Brook Adcock, and national security expert Lincoln Palmer.
Brown, not-for-profit director Paul Nettelbeck and deafness advocate David Brady also nominated.
Catholic high school teacher and author Vicky McGahey was the only female candidate in the mix. She was eliminated in the first round of voting.
The NSW division of the party is currently being run by a three-person panel following a federal intervention after the disastrous local government nominations debacle, in which 140 candidates missed out on contesting the council elections.
