In preparation for the upcoming vote to elect Simon Harris as Taoiseach in the Dáil, he has received the support of several Independent TDs. Roscommon-Galway’s Independent TD, Denis Naughten, who has known Harris for more than two decades, confirmed his support via a post on X, previously referred to as Twitter. In his post, Naughton said he has collaborated with Harris on numerous issues, including flooding, health, and science, and plans to continue doing so. He is eagerly anticipating working with Harris as Taoiseach over the next year and will cast his vote for him next Tuesday.
In addition, Independent TD for Tipperary, Michael Lowry, is set to show his support for Harris after their discussions regarding farming, University Hospital Limerick, small enterprises, amongst other topics. It is believed he will make his intention known this Tuesday. Furthermore, votes for Harris are anticipated from Joe McHugh, the previous Fine Gael Cabinet minister who lost the whip, and from Marc MacSharry, a former Fianna Fáil TD.
In the upcoming days, Harris has scheduled a meeting with Independent TD Cathal Berry and also met with Seán Canney on Tuesday. Canney is yet to declare if he will be supporting the Fine Gael leader in his aspiration to become Taoiseach. The proposed majority for the Government could be strengthened thanks to the votes from a cadre of Independent TDs, who have previously shown their allegiance during confidence votes for the Government and ministers, plus the election of Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach in 2020 and 2022, respectively.