The incumbent secured a second four-year term when he comfortably outpolled independent rival and former member Peter Draper.

Mr Anderson had an insurmountable 60 per cent of the vote on a two-candidate preferred basis when he declared victory on Saturday night.

Before dozens of die-hard supporters gathered at the Tamworth Hotel, Mr Anderson said he was humbled by the result.

“It was a really, really tough fight,” he said. “We’ve achieved a lot together over the last four years, but I keep saying ‘What’s next?’

“And what is next for us is something that I think is quite special for the Tamworth electorate.

“I think we’ve got some unfinished business in a lot of issues that we talked about – in health, in law and order, in education, in roads, in transport and so much more to do.”

When counting stopped for the night, Mr Anderson was leading in 27 of 30 local booths, with Mr Draper in front in only Werris Creek, Currabubula and Dungowan.

Mr Draper’s stance against coal mining and coal seam gas development on the Liverpool Plains played particularly poorly among Gunnedah voters.

Just 25 per cent of voters at the combined booths of Gunnedah South Public and Gunnedah Town Hall voted for Mr Draper, according to the initial count.

Mr Draper, who confirmed he would not stand again in 2019, said he was “disappointed in a way” with the result, but pleased he had “raised the profile” of the seat.

“I hope Kevin remembers all of the promises he’s made during this campaign, because there’s going to be a lot of people watching to make sure he lives up to those promises and the community will have even higher expectations, I think,” he said.

Country Labor candidate Joe Hillard, who received about 6 per cent of first-preference votes, said the ease of Mr Anderson’s win was somewhat surprising.

“I thought it would have been closer than it was,” he said.

“Realistically, I would have been happy with 10 per cent, but that wasn’t to be.”

Greens candidate Pat Schultz received just over 2 per cent of first preferences and said Tamworth was traditionally one of the toughest in the state for her party to gain traction.

She said she was also surprised the contest between Mr Anderson and Mr Draper had not been closer.

“I put it down to the fact they had a much bigger budget,” she said.

“The Nats threw everything at it and their advertising campaign was much larger.”

Despite polling just 0.78 per cent of first-preference votes in the initial count, Stan Heuston – standing on a platform of party reform – said he considered the election a success.

He said securing assurances from both Mr Anderson and Mr Draper that, if either were elected, they would pursue party reform in the Parliament, was a victory.

“History will acknowledge, moreover, that this agreement occurred because both our leaders personally supported political party reform and both responsibly recognised that such support expressed the views of their constituents,” he said.

Incumbent Nationals MP Adam Marshall was returned to the seat of Northern Tablelands he won in a 2013 by-election, while his Nationals colleague, Kevin Humphries, will comfortably hold Barwon.