Labor has claimed victory in both of Saturday's byelections with Opposition Leader John Robertson boldly declaring that Newcastle voters had "put their faith back in Labor".
Lake Macquarie mayor and Labor candidate for Charlestown Jodie Harrison has cruised to victory, securing almost 50 per cent of the primary vote.
In Newcastle, Labor's Tim Crakanthorp has claimed victory with a smaller than expected swing towards his party, but his independent rival Karen Howard is refusing to throw in the towel.
At the close of counting on Saturday night, Mr Crakanthorp was almost 3000 primary votes ahead of Ms Howard with the Greens' Michael Osborne a further 1800 votes behind.
"I'm a never-say-die sort of person," Ms Howard said after Mr Crakanthorp claimed victory at a Labor Party function in Broadmeadow.
"There are 6500 pre-poll votes to count and I'm not that far behind," she said. "Call me an eternal optimist, but with all those pre-polls and postals to count, and preferences going all over the place, it's not over."
Certainly, the numbers favour Mr Crakanthorp who was joined on stage at Broadmeadow's Premier Hotel by Ms Harrison and Mr Robertson before several hundred supporters.
"The people of Newcastle and Charlestown have put their faith back in NSW Labor and we will not let you down," Mr Robertson said.
"Tim Crakanthorp and Jodie Harrison are both upstanding candidates of honesty and integrity - they will be powerful advocates for their communities in the NSW Parliament and within the Labor team.
"Today's byelection result is a vote of confidence in Labor's positive plan for Newcastle, Charlestown and the broader Hunter region.
"The Liberals may not have run candidates today but they will be worried by this result and the judgment that has been passed on their radical agenda.
"The decision by the people of Newcastle and Charlestown today to return two Labor MPs to the NSW Parliament will only reinforce Labor's resolve to take the fight to [Premier] Mike Baird and [Prime Minister] Tony Abbott to stop their radical agenda for our state.
Mr Crakanthorp said he was "humbled by the support", while Ms Harrison said her support had been "truly remarkable".
With pre-poll and postal votes still to come, Mr Crakanthorp has secured about 37 per cent of primary votes, ahead of Ms Howard on 25.89 per cent and Mr Osborne on 20.24 per cent.
In Charlestown, Ms Harrison was holding 49.2 per cent of the primary count at the close of counting, followed by the Greens' Jane Oakley with 14.8 per cent. Independent Luke Arms polled a solid 11.8 per cent.
Despite a high-profile campaign which was well-funded by Clive Palmer, the two independents backed by the Palmer United Party polled only 3.2 per cent in Newcastle and 6.8 per cent in Charlestown.
The two Labor victories gives the party 23 seats in the NSW Parliament but it faces an uphill battle to make a dent in the Liberal government next March. Labor will need to win a further 24 seats if it is to win government.
