Within the next fortnight, Fine Gael is set to name replacement candidates for half of its retiring TDs (Teachta Dála) as a part of its general election preparations. Seven of the 14 constituencies which hosted Fine Gael TDs elected in 2020, but no longer seek a rerun in Dáil, will have their selection conventions completed by the end of the month.
Simon Harris, the party leader, and Taoiseach, like the other Coalition heads, continue to affirm that the Government plans to serve a full term well into the following year. Nevertheless, there are murmurings about a November poll following the Government’s previous budget. Fine Gael aims to wrap up all its selection conventions by 22nd September.
Eleven out of the 17 conventions scheduled to happen before July concludes, will take place in areas where the party is losing a TD or in other constituencies currently without a seat, such as Waterford and South Tipperary. The party clarified that there is no plan to prioritise these tickets to allow new candidates to settle in; every constituency is essential, it asserted.
This Wednesday, Councillors Bridín Murphy and Cathal Byrne were chosen to contest in Wexford in the hopes to retain the Dáil seat being left vacant by Paul Kehoe. Five potential candidates, including ex-TD Pat Deering, Catherine Callaghan, Orla Kelly, Cllr Michael Doyle and Cllr David Fitzgerald, will compete for a minimum of two spots on the Carlow-Kilkenny ticket, with the sitting TD John Paul Phelan standing down from the election.
Lastly, Cork East has planned its selection convention for the coming Friday. Mark Stanton, the son of outgoing TD David Stanton, will compete for a ticket against Cllr Noel McCarthy.
Simon Coveney, a veteran TD of the party, has affirmed he will not participate in the forthcoming election, allowing five candidates to contend in the upcoming Cork South Central selection convention next week. Furthermore, the Cork North-West selection convention, set to take place in the final week of July, will occur without the presence of Michael Creed TD, who has decided not to run in the next election.
As the first selected Fine Gael candidate this year, Dublin’s lord mayor, James Geoghegan, will be participating in the Dublin Bay South race. This is a significant event for Fine Gael, as they have not held a seat in that area since Eoghan Murphy, a previous minister, departed from politics in 2021.
Earlier in the month, it was announced that councillors Naoise Ó Muirí and Aoibhinn Tormey will represent Fine Gael in Dublin Bay North. The party has hopes to retain the seat left vacant by ex-minister Richard Bruton. However, the Dublin West convention, where ex-taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently confirmed he would not be running again, is slated for September, yet to take place.