Outcome would leave Micheál Martin in position to become next taoiseach Rising tensions in Fine Gael over ‘exhausted’ Harris and four-point poll dip Paschal Donohoe to be rolled out in final days to hit home the “experience” messageHarris’s lack of electoral and leadership experience blamed for mishaps in recent days
That outcome would leave Micheál Martin in position to become taoiseach ahead of Mr Harris.
The party’s previously confident attitude about winning the most seats has drifted away after several damaging incidents.
Fine Gael will fall back on its strong point on the economy in the closing days of the campaign, with Paschal Donohoe being rolled out to talk about a risk to jobs and the need for stability. Fianna Fáil is now in contention to add seats in a host of constituencies – with the help of Fine Gael transfers.
Strategists are now questioning whether their “Brand Harris” plan has paid off, with sources admitting the Taoiseach is “worn out”, “too nervous” and is “trying to stretch himself too thinly”.
Simon Harris asked whether exchange with Charlotte Fallon will overshadow election campaign
The party will now put outgoing Public Expenditure Minister Mr Donohoe on the airwaves in the final days to hit home the “experience” message, which Fianna Fáil leader Mr Martin has had the monopoly over.
The Taoiseach gave an underwhelming performance in the leaders’ debate and had a difficult encounter with a care worker on a canvass in Kanturk, Co Cork. Mr Harris was forced to apologise to Charlotte Fallon, a disability worker with St Joseph’s Foundation, after a clip of an exchange between them on Friday went viral.
The latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll also showed a collapse in the “Harris hop”, with Fine Gael down four points to 22pc, Fianna Fáil unchanged at 20pc and Sinn Féin up two to 20pc.
Fine Gael party figures pointed to Mr Harris’s lack of electoral and leadership experience for mishaps in recent days
He probably stretched himself too thin trying to run around country and shake hands with everyone
His gaffe in Kanturk is being put down to fatigue. However, there are also question marks being raised about the management of the leader’s tour, which failed to spot the incident.
“Harris is wrecked,” said one strategist. “There is a level of sympathy towards him because he’s run ragged… but it’s not a level playing field for him and he’s overperforming. He was too nervous and worn out. He probably stretched himself too thin trying to run around country and shake hands with everyone but at the same time, it’s good that he’s trying to run around the country and shake hands with everyone.”
Another strategist said: “It was pure tiredness and he made a mistake, which you can overcome.
“Nobody believes he is a bad person who doesn’t care about disabilities.
“Thank God we had Harris as leader. Imagine what it would be like if we had [Leo] Varadkar. We’d be coming back with 20 seats,”
One party general election candidate said: “The leader is exhausted but so is everyone, the next 48 hours will be key… they need to settle the ships.”
Fine Gael voters will transfer more to Fianna Fáil than the other way around
An outgoing TD said the campaign is currently a “mess” and they said they “weren’t surprised by the poll”.
Another outgoing minister said there is “no big panic” and said the party being on 20pc will motivate and “get out our core base”. They said: “We still need a good week and a good leaders’ debate.”
Asked yesterday whether he thought the Kanturk incident would overshadow his campaign, Mr Harris said: “I’m human, I make mistakes, but you know what I do when I make a mistake? I own it. I put my hands up, I got it completely wrong, I was wrong, simple as.”
Fianna Fáil is now in contention for gains in Roscommon-Galway, Donegal, Carlow-Kilkenny, Kildare South, Louth, Carlow-Kilkenny, Clare and potentially Dublin South-Central and Dublin Rathdown.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. Photo: PA
Fine Gael is still hopeful of extra wins in Cork South-West, Tipperary North, Waterford, Galway West and Dún Laoghaire, but there will be losses elsewhere as the party struggles with half its sitting TDs not running.
Fine Gael election candidates who are running to win seats for the first time are uneasy, with one party campaigner commenting: “If I was running, I’d be shitting myself.”
Sinn Féin is still in play for wins in Galway East, Cork North-Central, Dublin Fingal East, Wicklow-Wexford and Waterford.
“Fianna Fáil will do better than the polls say. Fine Gael voters will transfer more to Fianna Fáil than the other way around. Everything will have to fall right now for us to be in the early 40s of seats,” a senior party source said.
Mary Lou McDonald yesterday said that support for Sinn Féin is ahead of poll numbers which show her party and the two main coalition partners close to a three-way tie.
The Sinn Féin president said that over the past week an “energy” for the party had “come back very, very strongly” after slumps in support earlier this year.
However, this was rejected by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael sources, who said there is no “momentum” behind Sinn Féin out on the doors.
