Sinn Féin TDs have expressed shock that Mary Lou McDonald has hinted at a bid for the presidency – just weeks after saying she wouldn’t be running.
Asked yesterday if she would rule herself out of contention, she said: "We’re in this process, and we’re not ruling anything in or anything out.
"And when we have news for you around our own process and procedure, and all the runners and riders, I have seen lots of people’s names mentioned, so we’re not making any comment definitively on any of them, myself included."
Ms. McDonald, who was last year subject to death threats, said the party had conducted a consultation with the party membership.
"So I now have a report back from that on my desk. We have to do a bit more work to roll the process out, and I think… probably by the end of July and into August, we will have a clearer picture of what we are doing.
"We have been in discussion with other parties around the option of a joint candidate, supported by all of us across the left, or the combined Opposition."
Extra.ie asked Pearse Doherty, Sinn Féin finance spokesman, if he would like to be leader if Ms. McDonald ran successfully for the Áras. He replied: "Are you ruling me out for president?"
The comments by Ms. McDonald contrast sharply with her previous comments on the matter. In March, she said "it won’t be me" when asked if she would run for the party in the Presidential election. "I want Sinn Féin to be in government in Dublin. I still believe we can achieve that… and all of my energy and my effort is towards achieving that."
First Minister in the North and deputy leader of Sinn Féin Michelle O’Neill raised eyebrows last month when she failed to rule herself out of an Áras bid. When asked if she would put her name forward as a candidate, Ms O’Neill said: "We are working our way through our deliberations as we speak."
First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill. (RollingNews.ie)
Gary Murphy, a political scientist with DCU, said Ms. McDonald’s entry would be a "significant game changer… Mary Lou McDonald will want a strong candidate, whether she wants herself is the big question."
Several Sinn Féin TDs expressed surprise at Ms. McDonald’s comments. "News to me," one senior spokesperson said. "Everyone liked the idea of an agreed left-wing candidate and whatever else, and it fell into that space where we were all working together."
However, they said that this appeared to have subsided somewhat in recent times. They expressed scepticism about Ms. McDonald’s bid for the Áras.
"I have no notion where this is, but I would be incredibly surprised if this went forward in any way, shape, or form. Mary Lou is firmly ensconced as Sinn Féin leader, and I don’t see that changing.
"I would be surprised. She’d be incredibly strong, and here’s the thing. If anyone puts someone forward, they have to be of major consequence. She’s the party leader, she’s doing a really good job, and I don’t see it changing."
However, they acknowledged a number of people had discussed with them a column in the Business Post that floated the possibility of Ms. McDonald as a candidate. Another TD said: "There haven’t been conversations specifically in relation to Mary Lou, but there have been conversations to the effect of 'everything is back on the table.'"
Senior Fianna Fáil figures were more phlegmatic about Ms. McDonald’s potential bid, saying that, after strong coverage of her in the weekend papers, Sinn Féin is happy to continue taking easy reporting on her leadership.
They said: "I don’t think she said a whole lot really. Flip-flopping within Sinn Féin, we have become used to it. I’m not sure it moves the dial, really. They’re throwing it out there and seeing what the reaction is. They’re just headline chasing."
However, senior Fine Gael figures acknowledged Ms. McDonald would be a strong candidate and it would be a good ‘off ramp’ for her as party leader.
News of Ms. McDonald’s potential bid comes as the coalition parties are set to block independent candidates like Conor McGregor from being nominated for the Áras by stopping their councillors backing anyone who is not their own party candidate.
Fine Gael nominations opened yesterday, with Mairead McGuinness and Seán Kelly both expected to contest it.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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