	Following the August 2018 resignation of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Sharma was selected as the Liberal Party candidate for the resulting Wentworth by-election. In response to criticism from John Hewson, Sharma has stated that the Liberal Party has a "good record" on climate change, and is "doing enough" to meet the Paris Agreement. Independent candidate Kerryn Phelps won the by-election, but Sharma was pre-selected again to run as the Liberal candidate for Wentworth at the 2019 Australian federal election, and won the seat from Phelps. 