The Fine Gael party has confirmed that prior to her resignation and decision to run as an Independent candidate, ex-TD Kate O’Connell was not considered for a position on the party’s ticket for Dublin Bay South. Ms. O’Connell, once a familiar face in the TD, often found herself at odds with Leo Varadkar but seemed set to make a comeback under Simon Harris. She declared herself as an independent contender during her chat with the Sunday Independent.
Fine Gael made it clear that Ms. O’Connell was not rejected from the party, but rather, the party chose Cllr Emma Blain over her to run in the constituency, joined by the current lord mayor, James Geoghegan. In a statement, the party expressed that the party’s executive council had endorsed the addition of Cllr Blain, alongside Cllr Geoghegan, to contest in Dublin Bay South with an intent to secure two seats. They informed Ms. O’Connell last week that she wouldn’t be considered for the upcoming general election.
The party’s sources disclosed that like all potential candidates, Ms. O’Connell had been involved in rounds of conversations and scrutiny with party officials. Following this procedure, the decision was made to nominate Cllr Blain. Ms. O’Connell was informed of the decision via a phone call last Thursday, and they received notice of her resignation following this, according to senior figures in Fine Gael.