{"id":60731,"date":"2025-10-04T09:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T09:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/60731\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T09:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T09:46:09","slug":"whats-at-stake-for-the-three-presidential-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/60731\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s at stake for the three presidential campaigns?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s just under three weeks to go in the Presidential Election as campaign teams take stock this weekend.<\/p>\n

Candidates have been traversing the country meeting voters while also tackling their own controversies.<\/p>\n

They have also met for the first of several debates and faced extended interviews.<\/p>\n

There has been some sniping between candidates this week, but the attacks have not been full blooded as they seem to be holding back at this point.<\/p>\n

So far, the election has not hugely caught fire but many will eagerly study the results of the first opinion poll of the campaign tomorrow.<\/p>\n

But tomorrow’s main event is the second television debate on RT\u00c9\u2019s The Week in Politics with \u00c1ine Lawlor.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s at stake for the three campaigns?<\/p>\n

Heather Humphreys<\/p>\n

\"Heather
\nHeather Humphreys’ aim appears to be to avoid saying anything controversial or dropping a clanger<\/p>\n

Fine Gael\u2019s Heather Humphreys goes into the weekend as the probable frontrunner.<\/p>\n

Unquestionably her campaign is majoring on her personal warmth and ability to connect with voters.<\/p>\n

One Fianna F\u00e1il politician observed this week that she appears to be hugging her way to victory, clasping voters in an embrace as she travels the country.<\/p>\n

But most believe she had a difficult time in the Virgin Media debate earlier this week on two fronts.<\/p>\n

Firstly, she was hesitant and at times quiet, holding back from the fray. However, some in other campaigns believe this is a deliberate tactic from the perceived frontrunner.<\/p>\n

Her aim appears to be to avoid saying anything controversial or dropping a clanger which could become a viral moment.<\/p>\n

This may lead to some bland statements but it is a safe strategy from someone who has more to lose.<\/p>\n

The scrutiny also confirmed that debating is not her strength.<\/p>\n

Secondly, her Achilles heel is her vast experience in Government. Her credentials as a senior minister certainly fill out her CV but it means she also has to account for 14 years of decisions and policymaking that have not always been popular or successful.<\/p>\n

In particular, she has equivocated on housing with some floundering on the question of whether she agrees with President Michael D Higgins’s damning assertion that housing has been a disaster.<\/p>\n

Much attention will be paid to whether she pivots her messaging during this weekend and whether she will attack her opponents.<\/p>\n

Catherine Connolly<\/p>\n

\"Catherine
\nCatherine Connolly is approaching her campaign in a completely uncompromising fashion<\/p>\n

Independent TD Catherine Connolly has probably generated the most column inches so far, straying into difficult terrain with her comments on German rearmament.<\/p>\n

She has also faced questions about her judgement in attempting to hire a woman with a gun crime conviction to work at Leinster House.<\/p>\n

What is clear though is that the Galway West TD is approaching her campaign in a completely uncompromising fashion, holding steady to the political ideals she has always championed.<\/p>\n

This means there has been no moderation in her language or effort to move to the centre in a bid to broaden her appeal.<\/p>\n

That bucks the traditional political wisdom that a more nuanced conciliatory approach is needed during an election campaign in order to attain office.<\/p>\n

However this strategy may mean she could struggle to increase her core vote.<\/p>\n

Among her political backers, there are mixed views on her performance so far and some discomfort with her uncompromising stance.<\/p>\n

But this was always going to happen with disparate parties and an Independent candidate.<\/p>\n

Her debating style is relaxed and articulate and most political observers believed she came out best last Monday.<\/p>\n

As her campaign continues, many will be watching to see how much her political sponsors work to get out her vote – particularly Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n

Jim Gavin<\/p>\n

\"Jim
\nMany in Fianna F\u00e1il were happy with Jim Gavin’s performance, citing his inexperience in political debates<\/p>\n

Fianna F\u00e1il\u2019s Jim Gavin has had a faltering start as a political novice in a campaign beset by gaffes.<\/p>\n

These have mostly been at the embarrassing end of the spectrum rather than serious errors.<\/p>\n

But the bigger issue is the lack of a clear message as to why he wants to be President and what he would bring to the role.<\/p>\n

So far, he has spoken of bringing energy to the position, being an active President and shining a light on various issues.<\/p>\n

But these are generalities that reveal little about his unique selling points.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, he did add to that with a pledge to put disability inclusion at the centre of his presidency if elected.<\/p>\n

Notably in last week\u2019s debate, he went on the attack early taking on Catherine Connolly on her views on defence spending.<\/p>\n

Many in Fianna F\u00e1il were happy with his performance, citing his inexperience in political debates but some felt he was over-rehearsed and using his hands too much.<\/p>\n

But some concede that there is a perception that he is currently in last place overall and that his campaign needs an overhaul.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There’s just under three weeks to go in the Presidential Election as campaign teams take stock this weekend.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-60731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}