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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Heather Humphreys fight for the Aras faced an uphill battle when Jim Gavin left the race, say party sources.Rollingnews.ie election long read Inside the Humphreys campaign: 'We had a fair idea a week ago we were going to lose' Fine Gael insiders say from the very first live TV debate, they knew Heather Humphreys was on the backfoot. 11.31am, 26 Oct 2025 Share options Christina Finn “WE HAD A fair idea a week ago that momentum was behind Catherine Connolly,” one Fine Gael TD told The Journal the morning of the count. The landslide victory over Heather Humphreys was apparent early on, with tallies showing that the Independent Galway TD was the clear winner. In the end, Connolly took home over 63% of the vote, with Humphreys finishing on over 29%, and Jim Gavin receiving over 7% of the vote. But how did a well-established, experienced former minister not do better? Well, first of all, Connolly’s campaign played a blinder when it came to organising and building what Ireland’s new president called a “movement”. On the campaign trail with Connolly, it would be a regular feature that she would be approached for countless selfies and even autographs from well-wishers. (More on inside the Connolly campaign here). However, when it came to Humphreys’ canvasses around the country, they were described as being more wooden. Her campaign rarely gravitated from comfortable sites, such as supermarkets and credit unions. On the final week of the campaign, Humphreys hit the streets of Gorey, Co. Wexford to drum up votes. There was torrential rain, so she ducked into the local Supervalu to speak to shoppers. Heather Humphreys talking Europe to a woman in Supervalu, Gorey.Christina Finn Christina Finn “Hi, I’m Heather, I’m running for president,” she said, shaking peoples’ hands as they pushed their trolley down the aisle. That was really the only level of interaction she had with people. There didn’t appear to be any real or meaningful conversation with potential voters about what she would do as president. During one interaction, speaking to a shopper near the frozen section, Humphreys spoke to a woman about Europe and how important our allies are in this uncertain world. It was probably the first time that Europe’s defence was a topic of discussion along the supermarket aisles. Heather Humphreys speaking to a woman on the street in Gorey, Co Wexford The handshake blitz was evident and was a tactic adopted by Fine Gael’s Simon Harris during the last general election. Say hello, shake the hand, ask for the vote and move on. In comparison, when Connolly was canvassing, reporters witnessed her speaking at length with people about their local concerns and the important issues to them. The canvass in Gorey took place just days after The Irish Times/Ipsos poll, which put Connolly far ahead of Heather Humphreys at 38% to 20%. While there was a palpable sense of optimism among Connolly supporters, with many feeling that she had already won, the Humphreys team was downtrodden, with some stating afterwards that they knew then it was game over. While those that know Humphreys’ privately speak about her warmth and the sense of fun to her, out on the campaign trail during week two of the campaign, that just wasn’t shining through. Heather Humphreys in Bewleys, DublinLeah Farrell Leah Farrell Humphreys was out chatting to workers at the food market on the Mespil Road by the Grand Canal. She arrived to applause from Fine Gael members but plenty of other members of the public were happy to chat to her and wish her luck on her campaign. However, there were some notably uncomfortable moments where Humphreys appeared to struggle to make conversation. When a group of workers from Amazon bounded over to introduce themselves, she didn’t really have follow-up questions for them, and when a stall owner offered to whip her up a bit of food, she explained that she didn’t really have the time. Of course, the Connolly campaign wasn’t without its challenges, but Fine Gael did make some fatal mistakes. The first debate spelled trouble The Journal spoke to a number of Fine Gael insiders about when they knew that Humphreys was in trouble. While some said that the reality of it all dawned on them when The Irish Times poll result was published last week, putting Connolly well ahead of the Monaghan candidate, others said it was the during the very first debate on the Tonight Show on Virgin Media that they knew they were in a tough position. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Humphreys was too quiet, too laid back, they said. “We never really recovered from that. There was a lot of criticism about her demeanor, her approach. We didn’t come back from that and from then, we were constantly on the backfoot,” they said. When asked how they felt about the final result, they said: “We were prepared for it.” They joked that they knew this would be the result last week, but of course, they couldn’t come out and concede. “We had a fair idea a week ago we were going to lose. We had to carry on, put on a brave face,” they said. Advertisement ‘Death blow’ of Jim Gavin’s departure from the race Those with insight of the campaign told The Journal that Fianna Fáil’s Jim Gavin leaving the contest after it emerged he owed a previous tenant money from 16 years ago was the death blow to the campaign. “We all knew when Jim pulled out it was near impossible,” said one insider, who said Humphreys became the de facto ‘government’ candidate for both parties and was competing against five left-wing parties who backed Connolly. They said their biggest source of transfers had pulled out of the race when Gavin stepped aside. One senior Fine Gael member said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s wagons were always hitched to each other in this contest. Without one, the other would struggle, they explained. However, they saw the silver lining, stating that there have been far worse Fine Gael presidential performances in the past. “This was not the worst,” they said. ‘Uphill battle’ Fine Gael was aware that it would be an uphill battle after Gavin’s sudden departure, with multiple sources stating the election became a government versus opposition contest. Director of elections for Humphreys, Minister Martin Heydon, said he has no doubt the bigger change the campaign had to deal with was when it became a two-candidate strategy. “That was a much bigger change to strategy,” he said, stating that the party adapted well, in his view, to having to put Humphreys into the field unexpectedly. “That was something the party could handle,” he said. “But we never envisaged that it would be only two candidates and Heather coming from a background of having been a government minister for 10 years, backed by a party that are in government against somebody who has always been in opposition. You know, it very quickly then became a binary choice between establishment and anti establishment,” Heydon said. Fianna Fáil ‘didn’t show up’ Those this publication spoke to in the Fine Gael camp were also critical of Fianna Fail, stating that once Gavin withdrew the party tuned out and “didn’t show up” to push back against Connolly, who they described as an ‘anti-establishment’ candidate. When Gavin pulled out, Fine Gael knew its back was against the wall, they said, with one source stating that Micheál Martin not asking Fianna Fáilers to vote for Humphreys was a real blow. “The air of realism crept in quickly,” they said. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Humphreys’ performance in front of the media and in live debates was much criticised throughout this campaign, with the Monaghan candidate conceding the night before polling day that she perhaps didn’t come across as well on camera as she could. From her campaign launch to the final debate, she never appeared to be completely comfortable fielding questions on the huff. It’s not an easy skill, by any means. Not many people can do it at ease, but unfortunately flawless communication is key in a presidential election and Humphreys just didn’t meet the bar. Those in Fine Gael speak about the personality of Humphreys not coming across to people, saying that anyone that meets her in person or who knows her well, describes her as warm, humourous and “gas craic”. “Like she is the best craic and the warmest person you’ll meet. But for whatever reason that didn’t shine through,” they said. Much of this campaign came down to media performances, they said, arguing it is something no one can really prepare for. You either have it or you don’t. Heather Humphreys voting with her grandchild this week.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo But, in truth, the party could have prepared. The first opportunity and first mistake on this road is Fine Gael not holding hustings for the presidential candidacy. Had Humphreys had to stand up and debate Kelly, this fact might have become apparent to the powers that be in the party and they might have gone back to the drawing board. As stated, it was the first live TV debate where Humphreys’ quiet manner made the Fine Gael team uneasy. It was far too late for the team to be coming to that realisation. Podcast war or lack thereof The Journal has reported extensively on the social media campaign of Humphreys and Catherine Connolly and the stark difference between the two. While Connolly hit the podcast treadmill, Humphreys appeared to be targeting the local radio stations. McDermott, who heads up the Communications Clinic in Dublin, told us previously that podcasts are a “hugely important” part of political campaigns in this day and age. “They’re a conduit through to an audience. The great thing about podcasting is that they tend to have rich data in terms of who is listening, and therefore make it straightforward enough to profile their audience,” he said. It would appear to be a massive misstep in terms of her overall reach to voters. For instance, The Journal reached out to Fine Gael for Humphreys to appear on The Candidate in September and was continually reassured that she would come on the podcast. The Journal interviewed Connolly and was eager to offer the Fine Gael candidate the same opportunity. However, when the poll came out in the final week, Fine Gael pushed out the interview, until it became clear that Humphreys would not do it. This speaks to the wider campaign and media strategy of Humphreys. FG ran the campaign like it was a general election The party played it like a general election, rather than realising much of this fight comes down to personality, principles and ‘vibes’ of a candidate. Instead, they had their candidate talking about trade and geopolitics. Humphreys blitzed the local radio stations but completely ignored podcasts. A surprising move as it would have been a platform for her to reveal more of her personality and what she stands for. On these podcasts, she could have taken the opportunity to make the case for President Humphreys. But throughout the campaign, the majority of the time, she only made the case against Connolly. Related Reads What part of the country gave the most votes to Jim Gavin? Connolly's campaign won in the only arena that matters: the internet Designing a winning campaign: We spoke to the 26-year-old behind Catherine Connolly's graphics Connolly ran a strong social media campaign. While the Galway woman said that she doesn’t know much about social media, and refused requests from her team to do clips to camera for social media bites, the strategy adopted transcended anything the team could have expected. One Fine Gael campaign member told The Journal that they underestimated the strength of the social media game of the Connolly campaign across all social media channels. “We didn’t realise just how strong the likes of People Before Profit were on social media. It wasn’t just a candidate with the machine of one party behind her, it was the machine of many,” they said, stating that it was hard for Fine Gael to compete. Speaking about the “smear the bejesus” comment made by pundit Ivan Yates, this Fine Gaeler said they saw true strength of having the social media machines of a number of political parties behind Connolly. The social media platforms were bombarded with talk of a smear campaign against Connolly, they said. “I knew about the strength of the Sinn Féin social media, but I really saw it at work then, they added. Campaign team Turning to her team, Humphreys drafted in a number of Fine Gael staff and former staffers to look after her campaign throughout. Former Minister of State at the Department of Defence Paul Kehoe was a key member of Humphreys’ team, running the day-to-day campaign. Pauric McPhillips was seconded from Tánaiste Simon Harris’s office where he has worked as a special adviser to take charge of policy research. McPhillips had been a long-time adviser to Humphreys. Former Government Press Secretary for Simon Harris Chris Donoghue was head of her communications team. He has extensive media experience, having previously worked for Newstalk. He presented a morning radio show with pundit Ivan Yates prior to him joining Simon Coveney’s team during the tumultuous Brexit years. Special Adviser to the Tánaiste with responsibility for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence Niall O’Connor also worked on the campaign. He knows Humphreys well, having worked as her adviser when she was a minister at Cabinet. Previously, he had worked as a Political Correspondent with Independent News and Media. Former Fine Gael press officer and former adviser to Leo Varadkar Cliona Doyle was also part of her team. But before this team was handpicked and prior to Fine Gael selecting its presidential candidate, there was lots of talk about who might fit the bill for the party to put on the ballot. Mairead McGuinness’ name was the favourite, of course, but in political circles, there was lots of chatter about who would do well. Heather Humphreys was one of those names. Many in Leinster House argued that her humour and her down-to-earth approach that comes across in person would appeal to voters. What transpired is Fine Gael had McGuinness set in stone as their candidate. No one could have foreseen that she would have to step away from the race due to illness. MEP Sean Kelly raised his hand twice for the job, but the party leadership slapped him down, with Humphreys emerging as the chosen candidate after getting the necessary 20 parliamentary party members to back her. Kelly told The Journal this week that not holding hustings and a proper competition internally was a “big, big mistake”. The Journal spoke to grassroots members at the time who were critical of the rushed approach by the party, something Kelly was also very vocal about this week. Harris had previously spoken about how a contest might be healthy for the party. Many councillors agreed. In hindsight, had such a decision been taken by leadership, and hustings been held, the party might find itself in a much better position this weekend. Negative campaigning It was during her canvases around the country that Humphreys made some of the most vociferous attacks on Connolly, such as along Mespil Road during week two, when she said she was shocked by Connolly’s response about hiring a hypothetical person who had a rape conviction. Connolly later clarified that she would not. One Fine Gaeler explained that the thinking was that from the first television debate, the campaign was on the backfoot. Then when Gavin’s campaign imploded and he stepped aside, the Humphreys camp had to up the ante, so they went on the attack. As the contest came to its final week, the criticism being levelled at the Fine Gael side from the left was that it was running scared and, as a result, was engaging in negative campaigning. While Fine Gael denied that, it was a talking point towards the end of the campaign that instead of telling the public just who was Heather Humphreys and what her presidency would look like, her strategy was to talk down Connolly, with some stating that it was an approach that Humphreys herself was not very comfortable with. All smiles at Dublin Castle In the packed out St Patrick’s Hall in Dublin Castle, Humphreys was all smiles as she awaited the official announcement that Connolly had won the election and she had lost. Fine Gael Minister for Education Helen McEntee with candidate Heather Humphreys and Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald in Dublin Castle yesterday.Leah Farrell Leah Farrell In a turn-up for the books, those who she came to blows with across the Dáil chamber when she was in government, Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty, crossed the hall to commiserate with Humphreys. Shaking her hand, Doherty wished her well for the future. Some friendly scenes as Heather Humphreys arrives in Dublin Castle. Pearse Doherty shakes her hand as others approach to wish her well also. pic.twitter.com/aUyG1Ofyss— Christina Finn (@christinafinn8) October 25, 2025 “How’s she holding up?” this reporter asked one of her team. “She’s grand, it’s us that were shedding the tears last night,” they said, pointing over to the Humphreys camp, who had also joined Humphreys in the hall. “Look, she survived,” they said, stating that Humphreys knows well the risks of entering into a presidential campaign. They are brutal and some don’t come through them. “There’s many a presidential election has taken out,” they said, citing the likes of David Norris, Sean Gallagher and others, who were all tarnished to some degree by past presidential election races. “She’s still here, her reputation is intact, she survived,” they said, adding it’s a lot more than some can say. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal Christina Finn View 14 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Inside the Humphreys campaign: 'We had a fair idea a week ago we were going to lose'”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Inside the Humphreys campaign: 'We had a fair idea a week ago we were going to lose'”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Behind The Scenes election long read Heather Humphreys insider the campaign THE BIG READ News in 60 seconds Talking tariffs Trump kicks off Asia tour in Malaysia with trade deals rewarding Cambodia and Thailand for truce 40 mins ago Man charged in connection with alleged assaults on two people canvassing with Mary Lou McDonald The Daily Poll Did you expect Catherine Connolly to win the election? What part of the country gave the most votes to Jim Gavin? On the feed Connolly's campaign won in the only arena that matters: the internet Eimer McAuley Two men arrested by French police over brazen Louvre heist Manhunt stood down in UK after mistakenly released sex offender caught As it happened Catherine Connolly will be the 10th President of Ireland How did your constituency vote? 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