The daughter of late Finance Minister Eugene Cox, Paula Cox has been earmarked as a future Premier by the Progressive Labour Party for years.

After a spell as the PLP's press officer, Ms Cox entered the House of Assembly as an Opposition MP in 1996, fighting off competition from Terry Lister and Julian Hall before winning a Devonshire North by-election following the death of party leader Frederick Wade.

When the PLP won power for the first time in the historic General Election two years later, Ms Cox got more votes than her celebrated running mate Dame Lois Browne-Evans.

Still in her 30s, she was immediately given one of Cabinet's toughest posts, becoming the PLP's first Labour and Home Affairs Minister and soon after tabling controversial legislation granting greater rights to hundreds of non-Bermudians.

She also drafted new regulations restricting work permit stays and tackled a succession of crises at Westgate prison.

In late 2001, Ms Cox was transferred to the Education Ministry, meaning she is one of seven PLP MPs to have held what many consider to be a poisoned chalice.

Following the election of 2003, she was given the Attorney General role on top of her Education responsibilities, before replacing her father as Finance Minister when he died in January 2004.

She became Deputy Premier when Ewart Brown got the top job four years ago, and for most of her tenure has ranked as one of Bermuda's most well-liked MPs.

But despite long being seen as the natural successor to Dr. Brown, some in the PLP say her shine has started to wane since last summer, when opinion of the Premier reached rock bottom.

A year ago, several high-profile Cabinet Ministers lambasted the Premier for bringing four former Guantánamo Bay prisoners to the Island without consulting Cabinet, and for trying to pass the cruise ship gaming bill through behind its opponents' backs.

Mr. Lister and Dale Butler — who are both now staging Premiership bids of their own — were two of Dr. Brown's fiercest critics at that time, with Mr. Lister sacked for speaking out and Mr. Butler resigning in disgust.

Ms Cox described herself as "politically neutered" over the Uighurs, but while her comparatively mellow tone — and the fact she continued as Dr. Brown's deputy — earned credit for loyalty with some, others were left questioning her leadership credentials.

Things took a turn for the worse this January when critics pounced on her description of herself as a "cog in the wheel" unable to turn down Ministers' requests for more money — a label opponents now use to question her authority.

Shortly afterwards Ms Cox was accused of failing to cut unnecessary Government spending while making life tougher for families by increasing tax in her 2010 Budget.

But even then it seemed every complaint was countered by a compliment, with fellow Cabinet Ministers hailing Ms Cox a brave captain steering a ship through difficult economic waters, and Works Minister Derrick Burgess memorably exclaiming at a press conference: "Thank God for Paula Cox!"

Yesterday's turnout for her press conference at the Arboretum showed she can still certainly count on plenty of support among her party colleagues.