As Queensland faces the prospect of a hung parliament after next Saturday's election, the Premier, Anna Bligh, is being singled out as a weak link in Labor's bid for re-election.
Going into the campaign with a 22-seat buffer, Labor is now trailing the Liberal National Party in the polls.
The latest published polls put the party ahead 51-49.
With pundits predicting a swing of at least 6pc against the Government, Labor's best-case scenario is scraping back into power with a few seats.
"The swing against Labor is going to be bigger than anyone suggested on day one of the campaign. Labor has got to be prepared for a hung parliament," said Paul Williams, a Griffith University political analyst.
Whoever forms government will be forced to rely on the support of independents in a state that has only one house of parliament.
Labor strategists planning the campaign to win a fifth term in Queensland knew they had to overcome the hurdles of incumbency, a unified Opposition and the global financial crisis.
But they told the Sydney Morning Herald they did not foresee that what they considered their best asset - the competent, likeable Ms Bligh - would almost become a liability.
Fluffing costings of an election promise on the first day of her campaign, Ms Bligh has struggled to control the agenda.
Constantly on the backfoot defending her Government's shortcomings or responding to LNP policies, she is failing to get Labor's "jobs, jobs, jobs" message across.
Ten years of Peter Beattie has conditioned voters to expect showmanship.
He would happily swim with sharks if he thought there were votes in it, whereas Ms Bligh looked uncomfortable just handballing an AFL football on the Gold Coast this week.
"Anna Bligh is not a great natural campaigner," one Labor operative said.
"She would rather be judged on her ideas and ideals."
The role of Mike Kaiser, Morris Iemma's former chief of staff who now runs Ms Bligh's office, is also under scrutiny.
Questions are being asked about how management of the Queensland campaign is being divvied up between Mr Kaiser and the young state secretary Anthony Chisholm.
When Mr Kaiser worked for Mr Iemma he was engaged in a power struggle with the then NSW state secretary Mark Arbib.
Queensland Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce, who has been campaigning with the LNP, believes voters are "over" Labor.
A large protest vote is building, as long-term dissatisfaction with the Government's poor management of social services and infrastructure collides with angst about the deteriorating economy.
"When people lose their job, they look for a dog to kick," he said.
"The Labor Party is the dog and they're going to kick it."
Labor focus groups have not detected dislike for Ms Bligh; voters are simply sick of Labor government after almost 20 years.
In a bid to turn its campaign around, Labor is flooding TV and radio with advertising mocking the economic nous of the LNP leader, Lawrence Springborg.
Labor strategists hope today's campaign launch, by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will be enough to stem the leakage of votes.
At this stage, a victory by a one-seat margin will be considered a good outcome.
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