He joined the Liberal Party in 1986, and was soon chosen to contest the seat of Heathcote, which was up for by-election following the August 1986 resignation of disgraced former Labor Minister Rex Jackson.
The Leader of the Opposition, Nick Greiner, rejected this argument, declaring that the election was only delayed in an attempt to allow any bad press from the corruption trial to die down.
[2][3] The election finally came on 31 January 1987, and was rarely short of drama: Jackson, with criminal charges hanging over his head, entered as a spoiler candidate;[4][5][6] the Liberals found themselves in hot water over an illegally large billboard prominently placed on the electorate's border over the Princes Highway;[7] and the ALP were accused of sabotage after vandals cut loose from its moorings a Liberal advertising blimp.
[1][13] On 25 September 1990, the Greiner Liberal Government announced a controversial redistribution proposal to reduce the number of seats, and MPs, from 109 to 99 after the upcoming election.
With the odds against him – Andrews moved to the district two months before the election, and came up against Ernie Page, a Labor institution in the electorate – he came close to winning, missing out by 600 votes after preferences.