Latest poll: Catherine Connolly on course for commanding victory in presidential race

Presidential poll: Independent candidate Catherine Connolly (left) and Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Independent candidate Catherine Connolly is now leading Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys by 19 points, in the final poll ahead of election day on Friday.

The latest Business Post/Red C poll shows that Ms Connolly is on 44% support, an increase of eight points compared to the previous poll.

This compares to Ms Humphreys, who remains unchanged on 25%.

Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin, who dropped out of the race earlier this month but who remains on the ballot paper, is on 10%. This is down by 2 points.

Undecided voters, meanwhile, are at 21%, a fall of six points.

As part of the poll, undecided voters were asked to pick a candidate, with only half opting to do so.

This was split between Ms Connolly and Ms Humphreys evenly, which increased the Independent candidate to 49% compared to the Fine Gael candidate on 30%.

Excluding Mr Gavin and undecided voters, Ms Connolly’s support is increased to 55%. Ms Humphreys rises to 34%.