[12][13] On 25 January, Dawe announced he had chosen Peterborough-based entrepreneur Mark Ringer, founder and director of the Willow Festival, to be his unofficial running mate and deputy.

[14] Kevin Price, deputy leader of Cambridge City Council and councillor for King's Hedges, was declared the winner of the Labour Party selection process on 6 February 2017[15] after defeating Fiona Onasanya, county councillor for King's Hedges,[16] in a ballot of party members.

Other candidates who did not make the shortlist but were reported in local media as contesting the Labour Party selection included Peterborough City councillors Ed Murphy and Ansar Ali, 2015 Huntingdon parliamentary candidate Nik Johnson, and vice-chairman of Huntingdon CLP Samuel Sweek.

[17][18] Rod Cantrill, councillor for Newnham, Cambridge City Council, was announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate on 14 January 2017 following a ballot of party members.

[19] Paul Bullen, councillor for St Ives and UKIP group leader, Cambridgeshire County Council, was confirmed as the party's candidate on 11 January 2017.