The Tánaiste is backing Jackie Cahill to retain a seat for Fianna Fail in North Tipperary in the next general election.
But Micheál Martin says the newly created South Tipperary constituency is an opportunity for one of the party’s local Councillors to emerge as a candidate.
The Tánaiste says Jackie Cahill will poll strongly for Fianna Fail in the next general election.
The party’s local sitting TD will be running in North Tipperary after the electoral commission recommended that the county be split up again into two separate constituencies.
Speaking on Tipp Today from the party think-in at the Horse and Jockey, Minister Martin said that Deputy Cahill’s core support has not been affected by the new boundary which he hopes will be enough to see him re-elected.
“It will be challenging to win a seat in any 3-seater in a modern political context. That said I think he has worked extremely hard, very committed and as Chairman of the Agriculture Committee he is particularly strong so I think he’ll be very competitive in this constituency. It’s his heartland as well in terms of the area that he represents and historically has come from so I think Jackie will be strong here.”
Things are not so certain for the party in the three seat south Tipperary constituency though.
The Tánaiste says the party does not yet have a candidate chosen
He says that will be up to the local selection convention
“We have a good team also in Tipperary South and there’ll be quite a number of candidates coming forward there. We will obviously hold a convention, we’ll consult with the local organisation but we’ve a very strong councillor team here in South Tipp and that I think will give us options to compete competitively for a seat in the new Tipperary South.”
So the Tánaiste confirming that Jackie Cahill is expected to do will in North Tipp but wary of the tough competition in the two local three seater constituencies for the next general election.
No date yet set for that with the Taoiseach this week and the Tánaiste today saying they expect to current coalition to serve a full term which would take us into 2025.
