Peter Rein was elected to Parliament in August 3287. In 3291 he was easily elected to the Deputy Leadership of the Liberal Party. In 3295 Rein was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Defence under Jacqui Moir. Rein left the Defence Ministry following a cabinet reshuffle in 3301. In 3308, Rein was elected to the leadership over Jens Story. Just months after taking over the leadership, Rein saw the party lose a third of its seats in Parliament. Many had predicted losses for the Liberals and few expected Rein to step down as leader. However, his place as leader was challenged in 3310.