Local newspaper The Hutt News (part owned by another candidate James Kerr) printed several articles through the campaigning attempting to discredit Nash as a Soviet-style socialist.

The pamphlet featured a portrait of him wearing glasses appearing as (according to his biographer) "... as a bespectacled and possibly severe man, looking more like a schoolmaster than a Labour agitator.

In 1908 he stood for the Grey seat against Speaker of the House, Arthur Guinness, being defeated by a small majority.

[5] Kerr's campaign manager was the president of the Lower Hutt Chamber of Commerce, Jack Andrews.

The New Zealand Worker mused that while Johnston had been educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and Oxford University which had "left him with the attractive personality of a graduate of these institutions" but thinking him a Reform member by association rather than genuine conviction.

Many high-profile figures spoke on behalf of the candidates as well, Harry Holland, James McCombs & Michael Joseph Savage for Nash, Thomas Wilford & Harry Atmore for Kerr and both Gordon Coates & William Downie Stewart Jr for Johnston.

The most infamous was when a fleet of motor cars was used to take Junior Reform members from Wellington to noisily drive past a meeting at Day's Bay.

One of them questioned Nash's loyalty to the Crown, and a vote of confidence in him at the meeting's end was lost by a large majority due to the Junior Reformers presence.

At one of Johnston's meetings interjectors denouncing the Reform Party because "They put us in a swamp", referring to the local unemployed being given low paying relief work, worth only "nine bob a day."

[4] The following table gives the election results: Table footnotes: When the results were announced on election night, Nash spoke to a crowd from the mayoral office in Upper Hutt, saying that the harsh words on the campaign should be forgotten and all should work together for good and received cheers from those in attendance.