No Lead Candidate - Tánaiste Affirms

Tánaiste Micheál Martin today said there is no single lead candidate for the party in the Midlands North West constituency.

The statement came in response to comments made by fellow European election hopeful Barry Cowen that he is the party’s lead candidate.

The Laois-Offaly TD made the comments during a canvass with Tánaiste Micheál Martin in Longford on Friday.

European Election candidate Senator Lisa Chambers, who is also running for Fianna Fáil in the constituency, has welcomed comments from the Tánaiste. Previously, she said Mr Cowen's comments “smacks of arrogance” and found them “disappointing and dismissive.”

“We have three candidates running in this constituency and no one candidate is being prioritised in anyway by the party,” she said in a statement.

“We are under the same flag, campaigning absolutely in parallel and I am really happy with the response I’m getting within that,” she continued.

“Barry Cowen’s comments about being the ‘lead candidate’ were, in my view, unfounded,” she said.

“I appreciate the Tánaiste’s perspective that such comments are part of election dynamics,” Senator Chambers stated.

“It’s reassuring to know that the Tánaiste sees value in the competition and acknowledges the strengths each candidate brings to the table.

Ms Chambers’ focus is to address the economic and social imbalance towards the people of the north west, west and, the midlands and away from the capital.

Senator Chambers said that she is getting huge traction on her priority issues including fairer distribution of immigration, the green straitjacketing of rural Ireland and unwinding European red-tape.

Senator Chambers expressed her commitment to working collaboratively with her fellow candidates to achieve the best results for Fianna Fáil.

“We are all strong candidates in our own right. I look forward to continuing our efforts to secure significant representation for Fianna Fáil in the European Parliament,” she affirmed.