The last time, we had Mark McGowan as Premier, and whoever the other bloke was who was running against him, a few weeks out he knew he was cactus and basically (or actually even?) came out and said "I know I'm not winning this. I'm not even going to get close. I'm not going to try winning it, but all I am going to try doing is to take some votes / seats away from McGowan."
He was a dead man walking from that point on.
For mine, not for his giving up, but for the fact that he was a politician who spoke the truth. He was a goner and said as such. Honest politicians don't last.