Scott Ludlam is THAT Greens senator who took down Tony Abbott in a speech that went viral this year and has just secured his life in politics for another six years.

Ludlam has been a Western Australian Greens senator since August 2008, after winning his senate seat in the 2007 election.

It looked like he was going to miss out in the 2013 election, with an initial announcement he was eliminated by the Palmer United Party, but safely held his seat in this weekend’s senate election re-run.

Mostly under the radar, Ludlam has been building a national profile with some savvy social media use and strong campaigning, notably leading opposition to the Government’s plan for an internet censorship and protections for public ownership of the National Broadband Network.

Ludlam has won over fans by using personal engagement online, including inviting punters to send their senate submissions on the NBN directly to him.

The 44-year-old is one of parliament’s only eligible bachelors – his luscious hair has even inspired a parody Twitter account. Born in New Zealand and spending much of his early years travelling the globe, his family settled in Western Australia.

He has studied design at Curtin University and then policy at Murdoch University.

He hasn’t owned a car in 15-years and pre-parliament worked as a film-maker, artist and graphic designer, using his skills to create a bicycle black spot app, as well as working in fellow WA Greens Senator Rachel Siewert’s office before being elected to parliament.

But following the viral Tony Abbott take-down in March, the Western Australia senator is now beginning to be considered as a future leader of the Greens.

His speech was passionate, reportedly written overnight on the plane, and notably, it wasn’t dumbed down for the masses, or based around three word slogans.

There’s no danger of Ludlam being accused of being disconnected – he could be the face of the young political zeitgeist. On Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, he gets it.

In fact, part of his burgeoning popularity has been built off his witty and engaging Twitter debates with high profile public figures including The Australian‘s Chris Kenny imortalised in this piece by Junkee.

The weekend before the election re-run, Ludlam was not out kissing babies, he DJd at a “Greens fundraising rave” (yep you read right) at Perth’s night club Death Disco at Capitol’s Ludapooluza

And if, after that, there was any doubt that Ludlam was in tune with the online it crowd. There’s this: