Jim Gavin: ‘I’d never do it again, but I have no regrets’ after presidential bid

Former candidate reflects on controversy, withdrawal and emotional toll of campaign while defending decision to enter public life

Taoiseach Micheál Martin with former Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin during the presidential election campaign, at Leinster House in Dublin. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

“I’d never do it again, but I have no regrets,” Jim Gavin has said in his first interview since the 2025 presidential election campaign.

The former Fianna Fáil candidate withdrew from the election in October last year after failing to inform his party about a previous dispute with a tenant, in which he had failed to return rent overpayments worth €3,300 in 2008.