Davy Russell: The 'invisible man' to Scottish Labour MSP
Many thought it would not be enough, but Thursday night's emphatic result proved them wrong.
He lives in Quarter, South Lanarkshire – a village three miles from Hamilton – where he has spent his whole life.
In this contest, he was one of the only candidates to stay in the constituency he was fighting to represent.
The invisible man?
The nickname followed Mr Russell through the campaign trail, after he confirmed he would not participate in STV's live debate.
Reform UK candidate Ross Lambie used social media to joke Mr Russell had become the 'invisible man' with the TikTok video showing a search for the Scottish Labour candidate with Queen's The Invisible Man playing alongside the caption, 'Where's Davy?'
Read more:
Starmer: Scots voted for change in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election win
Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
Disdain for Davy Russell comes back to bite political elites
Mr Russell hit back, adding the best way to reach the public was 'by chapping doors and hearing their concerns'.
Senior Labour sources said they knocked on around 7,000 doors on polling day, adding to the community-focus message.
Who is Davy Russell?
He went to school Hamilton Grammar School and went on to earn a civil engineering certificate from Motherwell Technical College.
Mr Russell worked as an apprentice, fixing roads before becoming a senior manager at Glasgow City Council, handing roads, transport and waste services.
As deputy lord lieutenant, he represents the King at local events.
Mr Russell previously worked as a consultant to a subsidiary of Mears Group, a company previously embroiled in a data falsification scandal.
His whole campaign was used to centred on reinvigorating Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, condemning the Scottish Government's plans to downgrade the neonatal unit at University Hospital Wishaw and pledging to boost high streets.
Mr Russell was jubilant as he was named the newest MSP in Holyrood in the early hours of Friday morning.
He said it was the best moment since the birth of his grandson, Adam, who was born six weeks ago.
'I've lived here my whole life. I'm a dad and a grandad and like many of you, I care deeply about the future of our community,' he said.
Hamilton town centre will be his priority in Holyrood, he said.
'We need to get investment in there,' he said.
'The council are trying really hard in this, but it needs a bit of help.'
This was his first bid at Holyrood and previously served on the board of trustees for Sense Scotland, a charity for disabled people.
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