Candidates seek to avoid major fumbles in first debate

Tonight marks a significant milestone in the presidential election with the first major candidate debate.

Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys and Independent candidate Catherine Connolly will appear on Virgin Media’s Tonight Show at 10 o’clock.

The debate will be moderated by Kieran Cuddihy and each candidate will be given a 60 second pitch at the start, as well as a final 30 second pitch to close.

The three candidates drew lots in terms of seating, with Ms Connolly to be seated in between Mr Gavin and Ms Humphreys.

The former Dublin football manager will be positioned beside Mr Cuddihy.

Those involved in the debate say it will be “topic led” and that they are “conscious of the fact many people don’t know much about the candidates yet and so they need to be given time and space to get their views across too”.

Candidate debates regularly throw up seminal moments in election campaigns and while this one comes early in the presidential contest, it could still be important in shaping the fortunes of the three candidates.

There is political consensus that the wider public has yet to fully tune into the campaign, with many voters still undecided and an opinion poll not expected until next weekend.

Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin is perhaps under most pressure to perform.

Some backbench TDs and party grassroots argue that his campaign has yet to gain traction on the ground, and there are fears Fianna Fáil voters outside of Dublin will lend their vote to Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys.

However, the Fianna Fáil hierarchy remain confident of Mr Gavin’s electoral potential and Taoiseach Micheál Martin has dismissed notions his party might not be united behind its candidate.

Jim Gavin himself has admitted to some pre-match nerves ahead of tonight as he enters into an arena he is not accustomed to.

Aside from getting the entirety of Fianna Fáil behind him, the military pilot must also appeal to those who are not familiar with his GAA credentials.

“He needs to start expressing an opinion on something” was how one Fianna Fáil strategist described Mr Gavin’s challenge ahead of tonight.

Independent Catherine Connolly has attracted headlines already in this campaign for her comments on Hamas and suggesting there were parallels between Germany’s increase in military spending today and the 1930s when the Nazis were rearming.

Her supporters argue those remarks have been taken out of context, although Labour’s Alan Kelly and Duncan Smith have publicly expressed concerns about her comments.

Ms Connolly is taking a break from canvassing today to prepare for tonight’s debate.

Those involved in the Galway West TD’s campaign claim a formidable grassroots movement is growing to elect Ms Connolly.

However, they also fear a predicted low turnout could be her undoing.

The former Leas-Chann Comhairle’s challenge tonight will be not only to convince voters of the parties backing her to row in behind her campaign, but to also extend her reach beyond that.

Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats, People Before Profit and the Green Party took a combined 34.3% of the vote in last year’s general election, but Ms Connolly will need to surpass that figure in this contest.

She is likely to emphasize how she is the only Opposition or anti-Government candidate.

Fine Gael figures are keen to stress Heather Humphreys’ ten years of experience as a Cabinet minister as making her the most suitably qualified candidate to become President.

However, this could also be her Achilles heel as all her political decisions over that time could come in for scrutiny, as well as her Government’s record in office.

Catherine Connolly has already accused Ms Humphreys of downplaying the housing crisis by describing it as “a challenge” on RTÉ’s Drivetime last week.

The mother of hit-and-run victim Shane O’Farrell – whose killing was subject to a State apology – has also criticised Ms Humphreys for not offering sufficient support in her long campaign for justice.

Lucia O’Farrell was a Cavan-Monaghan constituent of Ms Humphreys and received support from across the political spectrum.

Ms Humphreys’ supporters admit media debates and interviews are not her forte.

However, they remain confident she will emerge unscathed from tonight’s debate and point to her experience of taking Leaders Questions in the Dáil as a sign that she will be able to think on her feet under the lights of the television studio.

All three candidates will seek to avoid major fumbles tonight this early in the campaign, so this debate may well be more cautious than those closer to polling day.

Read more:
–Presidential candidates to take part in first TV debate tonight
–Live: Humphreys, Gavin set to canvass in capital
–The basics: A quick guide to Presidential Election 2025
–Watch: A quick runthrough of the presidential candidates