THOUSANDS of people in Donegal will cast their ballot in the general election today.
With five seats up for grabs in the tightly contested constituency and 20 keen candidates, much dialogue has been given as to how the votes will go, but there is uncertainty.
Polling suggests that Sinn Féin’s TD Pearse Doherty is again expected to top the ballot in the Donegal constituency.
Last time out in 2020, Sinn Féin held more than 45 per cent of the first preference vote, with both candidates elected on the first count.
Mr Doherty topped the poll with a staggering 21,044 votes and running mate Padraig MacLochlainn also comfortably exceeded the quota on the first count with 13,891 votes.
Between them, Doherty and MacLochlainn had a shared quota of 2.7, enough to have potentially elected a third candidate.
This time around Sinn Féin is looking to take advantage of their surplus by running a third candidate, Cllr Noel Jordan. However, this same strategy is what cost MacLochalinn his seat back in 2016.
In 2020 Fine Gael had less than 14 per cent, but after nine counts, Deputy McHugh managed to get re-elected.
Out of the five current TDs Joe McHugh is the only one not to contest his seat.
This has caused strong speculation that Fine Gael might lose their seat.
The results of a TG4/Ipsos B&A Donegal constituency poll revealed on Nuacht TG4 last week predicted that Fine Gael are unlikely to retain the seat won by Mr McHugh in 2020.
Fine Gael also failed to win a seat in four of the seven local electoral areas in June.
But the party is offering new blood with candidates Senator Nikki Bradley and John McNulty.
Senator Bradley, a cancer survivor and amputee, said she wants to be a “strong voice for those living with disabilities”, while also promising to represent homeowners who have been affected by the ongoing defective block crisis in Donegal.
The party is also running John McNulty, who manages the Donegal women’s GAA team.
In each of the last four general elections one of the outgoing TDs in Donegal has lost their seat.
There is a widespread feeling of frustration across the county with housing and defective concrete dominating debates.
Political newcomer, Charles Ward, is contesting a seat under the 100% Redress Party.
The healthcare worker and defective concrete blocks homeowner, contested the local government elections in June in the Stranorlar-Lifford Local Electoral Area, polling 985 votes before being eliminated in the fourth count.
According to the TG4 poll, one percentage point separates the two Fianna Fáil candidates, Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher (13 per cent) and outgoing Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Charlie McConalogue (12 percent).
McConalogue, from Carndonagh, takes the Inishowen Fianna Fáil vote, Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, the west Donegal vote.
Charlie McConlogue appears to be more transfer friendly.
In 2020, it went down to the wire between the two candidates, with Charlie McConalogue eventually claiming the Fianna Fáil seat at the expense of Pat ‘The Cope’.
Fianna Fáil’s Charlie McConalogue is stressing the importance of continuity in government.
Charlie McConalogue and Independent Thomas Pringle were both elected on the ninth count on healthy numbers in 2020, and McConalogue has enjoyed a high profile as Minister for Agriculture.
Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher lost out previously for Fianna Fáil to that Sinn Féin tsunami.
Will he reclaim the ground? Or will that Sinn Féin tsunami become an Independent tsunami in 2024?
In this case, a transfer-friendly Thomas Pringle could set his eyes on the prize.
Bundoran woman Claudia Kennedy is also on the Fianna Fáil ticket.
She ran unsuccessfully in the local elections, and her addition is said to have caused some tensions locally about vote management.
Added to the mix is a large number of independent candidates including Frank O’Donnell and Gerry McKeever.
Related posts:
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)