The Isle of Wight's MP Bob Seely said his pick for Tory leader, Penny Mordaunt MP, was "in touching distance", after she lost out to Rishi Sunak in the race to become Prime Minister.
Ms Mordaunt pulled out of the contest after failing to meet the threshold of 100 MPs, paving the way for Mr Sunak.
Speaking to Isle of Wight Radio, the Island's MP said he believes they were "close" to getting the support they needed.
"We were nearly there. But look a miss is as good as a mile. If we weren't there we weren't there.
"What we need to do now is get behind Rishi and get back to governing because the stuff that gets me out of bed in the morning is not endless election contests for leaders, it's how we can get a better deal for Islanders."
Mr Seely said he had mixed emotions following Ms Mordaunt's defeat.
He said:
"On one hand I'm sad because I think Penny would've been a great leader and great Prime Minister. But it was not to be.
"On the other hand. We're now going to get behind Rishi and make sure that we're going to make a success of Rishi's leadership and I'm actually really optimistic for the future."
Mr Seely said he backed Ms Mordaunt ahead of Mr Sunak because of her "mix of ministerial qualities, political judgement and personal qualities".
He said the incoming PM, who grew up in Southampton, knows the Isle of Wight "very well" and hopes his familiarity with it will benefit Islanders.
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