Catherine Connolly built a winning coalition that reshaped the presidential race
Presidential Independent candidate Catherine Connolly leaves the count centre at the Galway Lawn Tennis club on her bike. Picture: Ray Ryan
The writing had been on the wall that Catherine Connolly was going to win the presidential election for several weeks.
After Jim Gavin’s departure from the race, polls began to show rising support for the Galway Independent TD, leaving Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys far behind.
But her blow-the-doors-off election victory didn’t just materialise in recent weeks — it had been steadily building since Connolly entered the race in July.
She was the first to formally declare her intention to stand, earning the backing of the Social Democrats, People Before Profit, and several other independent TDs.
More support followed, with Labour, the Greens, and Sinn Féin all joining her campaign. While Mary Lou McDonald’s “game-changer” comments were lampooned in the media, it’s clear Sinn Féin’s involvement made a significant impact.
Being in the race well before any other challenger gave the public time to get to know Connolly and understand the type of candidate she was.
With Humphreys not formally entering the race until August 19, Connolly dominated the airwaves for over a month, setting out her platform well ahead of her rivals.
Having a monopoly on media coverage allowed her to set the pace of the campaign, while her social media presence appeared more polished and authentic than that of other candidates.
Videos of Connolly running rings around kids playing basketball or doing keepie-uppies captured the public’s imagination.
She also built a broad coalition across civil society, gaining support from trade unions, disability and carers’ groups, as well as artists, students, and housing campaigners.
Sources in the campaign said the extra time allowed Connolly’s team to build strong organisational structures, linking in all the supporting parties, establishing infrastructure, and resolving logistical issues before the campaign began in earnest.
It’s clear this coalition was wide-reaching, with young people particularly energised by a candidate who appeared to be the natural successor to the ever-popular Michael D Higgins.
While official results are still pending, it is abundantly clear that Connolly will take office as the 10th President of Ireland on November 11.
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