Her name and face are known to everyone in the country and her record of achievements speak for themselves: the youngest woman to run in a general election, the first female and youngest person to be appointed to the Senate and, of course, the first Progressive Labour Party Premier.

Dame Jennifer Smith's high profile and past glories should arguably make her a shoo-in for St. George's North come election day.

But politics in Bermuda doesn't always work that way. Even after five years as leader of the country in 2003, Dame Jennifer managed to win constituency number one by only eight votes. Picking up 423 votes, she had less than the other two candidates combined (the UBP's Kenneth Bascome received 415 votes and independent Gavin Smith got 16).

Soon after she was dumped as party leader by members of her own Cabinet in a dramatic coup and has since served as Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.

Supporters in the area say she has spent the four-and-a-half years since solidly concentrating on her constituency – and they believe that will pay dividends for her on December 18.

Certainly, Dame Jennifer is a busy woman. An e-mailed request one Friday for an interview with her to discuss her election pledges gets this response two days later: "My apologies for late response – weekends are prime canvassing time. I prefer to make my case directly to the voters on the doorstep and I have no time for an interview."

The 60-year-old's election literature says she has worked "diligently for St. George's for almost two decades and she deserves to be re-elected".

Curiously, the glossy pamphlet, while listing her myriad accomplishments, does not detail what she has done in the area nor what issues she feels currently need to be addressed.

E. Michael Jones, former Mayor of St. George's, who ran and lost against Dame Jennifer in 1993 as a United Bermuda Party candidate, says she is very well-known in the town.

"Jennifer will win," he says. "I believe that the base of support for the Progressive Labour Party is a very strong one. I'm not sure what the margin will be but I think she stands a chance of retaining her seat."

Others agree that she has been quietly building support and putting in the hard work needed to convince voters to return her to parliament.

Soon after the 2003 election, a Mid-Ocean News editorial described her as "an unpopular leader to be sure: aloof, autocratic and as volatile and unpredictable as the path of a tropical storm".

If that was the perception then, her fall from grace and resulting years in the political wilderness may well have changed things. Former UBP MP Jamahl Simmons, who left the Opposition earlier this year, has been canvassing for the PLP in St. George's North.

He says: "In the last election, there was a very anti-Jennifer Smith undercurrent. What I'm hearing from people now is that's she's taken her licks and come back and worked hard and she will be rewarded.

"I think it's going to be a bigger margin than last time. I think you are looking at about 50 votes plus."