Fine Gael pins election hopes on senators as up to nine TDs not running

Leo Varadkar expects more senior members of the party to depart from national politics

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar thinks one or two more party members will step down.

Fine Gael is pinning its hopes on electing senators to the Dáil to make up for the loss of up to nine sitting TDs before the next general election.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has admitted that he expects more senior members of the party to depart from national politics following the announcement of TD Richard Bruton this week.

The Dublin Bay North TD, and current chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, became the seventh Fine Gael member to announce that they will not be standing.

When asked about the exodus of TDs, Mr Varadkar said: “I think there probably will be one or two more [stepping down]."

Party sources have now stressed that Fine Gael will be targeting new seats in a bid to even out any losses, with the current batch of senators being strongly promoted.

In January, the Irish Examiner reported that up to nine TDs would step down, with speculation swirling about a number of senior politicians, including Paul Kehoe, Charlie Flanagan, Fergus O'Dowd, and Frankie Feighan.

It has also been strongly rumoured that Clare TD Joe Carey may decide not to run again due to a prolonged illness.

Mr Feighan last night said he will be running as a candidate in Sligo as did Mr Flanagan.

Richard Bruton is not contesting the election. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the former justice minister said that he is “in good health, energetic, and active” and that he was still working on the international stage, citing a recent visit to Kyiv in Ukraine as chair of the Oireachtas foreign affairs committee.

TD for Wexford, Paul Kehoe, is currently facing difficulty following the redraw of his constituency by the electoral commission last month. 

With part of Wexford being hived off into a new Wicklow-Wexford constituency, it is estimated that he has lost around 3,500 votes.

Mr Kehoe confirmed that he still intends to stand at the next election, saying that he would instead now have to consider what constituency to stand in.

Mr Bruton's announcement follows Michael Creed, Joe McHugh, Brendan Griffin, John Paul Phelan, and David Stanton who all said they would not stand again at the next election. 

Former housing minister Eoghan Murphy departed politics early in this coalition.

While a selection of local representatives have been identified in constituencies where TDs are due to step down, senior party sources have warned that filling Joe McHugh's seat in Donegal and the gap left by Brendan Griffin in Kerry will be "tricky" as both TDs had significant personal votes.

"Because Richard has been a TD for so long, it's hard to know how much of his vote has been Richard Bruton support or how much has been Fine Gael," one senior member of the party added.

With significant ground to now make up, before the threat of Sinn Féin is even considered, Fine Gael sources have pointed to a number of senators who have performed strongly this term and who will be pushed for Dáil seats.

These include Garret Ahearn who will be running in the newly-formed Tipperary South constituency, Tim Lombard in Cork South West, Micheál Carrigy in Longford-Westmeath, and John Cummins in Waterford.

Former social protection minister Regina Doherty will also be hoping to win back a Dáil seat in one of the two new Fingal constituencies.

Sinéad Sheppard has been tipped to run in place of David Stanton in Cork East. Picture: David Keane

Mr Varadkar yesterday told RTÉ that Fine Gael TDs have had a lot of experience, both in government and opposition, and that plans for candidates to succeed outgoing TDs will be put in place across the country.

“A number of them are now going to be moving on, but we can put succession plans in place,” Mr Varadkar said, citing the retirement of Enda Kenny and the election of Alan Dillon in his stead in Mayo.

Councillor John Paul O'Shea, who was Mr Creed's running mate in the last election, is expected to be on the ticket again, while former member of the pop band Six, Sinéad Sheppard has been tipped to run in place of Mr Stanton in Cork East.

Meanwhile, councillors Naoise Ó Muirí and Aoibhinn Tormey have been cited as possible replacements in Mr Burton's constituency.