Xenophon stares down defeat in SA election

Nick Xenophon's attempt to disrupt South Australian politics appears to have failed, with none of the party's 36 candidates yet to win a seat.

The former senator is struggling to win the seat of Hartley at the South Australian state election, but has held off on conceding.

The mood turned sombre at Mr Xenophon's Adelaide party as ABC election expert Antony Green projected the Liberals would form a majority government and Mr Xenophon was unlikely to win his own seat.

Sitting Liberal Vincent Tarzia has polled 40 per cent of primary vote to Mr Xenophon's 25.2 per cent, with 63 per cent of the vote counted.

The result puts him less than one per cent behind Labor candidate and former minister Grace Portolesi.

On a two-party preferred basis the Electoral Commission has Mr Tarzia well ahead, 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

Across the state, SA-BEST has polled only about 14 per cent of primary votes and has not yet won any seats, though Heysen candidate John Illingworth is still in with a chance although he trails Liberal Josh Teague in the two-party preferred count.

Mr Xenophon told supporters gathered at Adelaide's Palace Nova Cinema that the results were a "mixed bag", but the party has a great foundation to build on in a number of seats.

"We are here to shake up the great two-party duopoly, whether we do that remains to be seen," he said.

"SA-BEST will have a presence in the South Australian parliament and that's a good thing for democracy in this state."

Mr Xenophon said the party was expecting to win two seats in the state's upper house.

He did not concede defeat in Hartley, but acknowledged the party was trailing in his electorate and a number of others.

"So far some of the figures have been encouraging - we have come second in a whole swag of seats."