Who is popular today?

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro says former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's support of Independent candidate Kirsty O'Connell is "a kiss of death" for her ahead of the Upper Hunter by-election on Saturday.

"In the six weeks I have spent up here campaigning, I have not met a single person that has mentioned Malcolm in a positive way," he said.

"The message has been, if you didn't act on the appointment of Malcolm to the Net Zero Emission Board, if you didn't sack him from that, we'd be punishing you now.

"The truth is, he's got no friends up here. He wants to take it out on me... but Malcolm is not popular up here."