She's not running in Adelaide, Croydon, Torrens or Dunstan, but if you're in the city, you've probably seen Jing Lee's posters adorning stobie poles all over the place.

The Liberal MLC is seeking another eight years in South Australia's Legislative Council, and from fourth spot on the ticket — in the face of a Nick Xenophon surge — her re-election is far from guaranteed.

As part of the ABC's Curious Campaign, an anonymous reader asked: "I'm seeing an awful lot of posters for Jing Lee. Why is there a focus on her?"

Others on social media are asking the same question, and it may just be the most prominent Upper House campaign in recent memory.

Jing Lee, of Malaysian-born Chinese background, entered Parliament from the fourth spot in 2010, and has served with the Liberals as a parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, trade, investment and small business.

But to keep her seat, she's assembled a team of supporters to put up corflute signs right across the metropolitan area, and has even adopted Hillary Clinton's Democratic presidential campaign slogan: "Stronger Together".

Rob Manwaring, an expert in politics from Flinders University, said he'd noticed a particular concentration of posters in the CBD and Chinatown.

"I think it's a strategy, either by the Liberal Party or the candidate, to send a signal to the Chinese community and others to say: 'We have a diversity of candidates, and we're not just a party of white middle-aged men'," he said.

Dr Manwaring said Ms Lee's campaign may also shore up support for Liberal MP Rachel Sanderson.

"They're in one sense conflating two candidates to bolster the overall vote," he said.

Supporters of SA Liberal Upper House candidate Jing Lee hold up election corflutes. ( Facebook: Jing Lee )

Sympathy for Ms Lee's situation is coming from a political rival — Labor MLC Tung Ngo.

"I feel for Jing and a lot of the other candidates up for re-election, because if you don't win, you can be looking for work very soon," he said.

Upper House election a different kind of battle

Mr Ngo unsuccessfully sought election for Labor in 2010 in the fifth spot, the same year Ms Lee was elected.

Labor MP Tung Ngo was elected in 2014, after an unsuccessful bid in 2010. ( ABC: Angus Llewellyn )

He had better luck at number three on the ticket in 2014.

"I decided it was my only chance to get elected, so I went out and bought about 1,000 corflutes, and put them around prominent locations in South Australia, hoping that would stack up and help me get elected," Mr Ngo said.

"It used to be a top four, but now with minor parties getting a lot of votes in the Upper House, only the top two spots are guaranteed."

Mr Ngo said candidates for the Upper House don't have the advantage of running a targeted campaign in small, local electorates.

"We have to cover the whole state, so it is difficult to get out there, so the best thing is to put as many corflutes up as you can."

Jing Lee entered Parliament from fourth spot on the ballot in 2010. ( ABC News: Tom Fedorowytsch )

This year, Labor's candidates include Trimann Gill in fifth and Christina Lien in sixth, but Mr Ngo said that did not mean people from diverse backgrounds find it harder to get into Parliament.

"In 2010 I ran as number five, which most people said was unwinnable, but I saw it as an opportunity to further myself down the track," he said.

"Four years later I was given a top four position, so for any candidates from a multicultural background, getting on the ticket at number five or number six is a good start, you get some experience, and hopefully you can use that long term to get higher up on the ticket."

Eleven successful candidates will take their seats in the Legislative Council after the election.

The ABC has requested an interview with Jing Lee.