Fianna Fáil to run two candidates in Co Wexford
THE National Executive of Fianna Fail has decided that the party should field two candidates in County Wexford in the next General Election, one in the north of the county and one for the south of the constituency.
The selection convention will take place on July 9 at a venue to be decided with eight nominees in the running for the two candidate positions - the party’s sitting TD James Browne and councillors Malcolm Byrne (Gorey), Lisa McDonald (Wexford), Barbara Anne Murphy (Bunclody). Joe Sullivan (Castletown), Michael Sheehan (New Ross), Michael Whelan (Ballycullane) and John Fleming (Clonroche).
With Deputy Browne certain to receive a nomination as the candidate for the north of the county, that could leave Cllr. Lisa McDonald battling it out with Michael Sheehan, Michael Whelan and John Fleming for the second nomination.
Fianna Fail ran three candidates in the last General Election- James Browne, Malcolm Byrne and Aoife Byrne - and while the party polled the highest percentage of first preference votes at 26.6%, it lost out in transfers and failed to gain the sought-after second seat lost gby Sean Connick in 2011.
Cllr. McDonald, a solicitor with a practice in Wexford town, was narrowly defeated in the General Election of 2007, coming in sixth place in the five-seater constituency with 9.3% of the first preference votes. She served as a Senator from 2007 to 2011.