Wicklow 2024 general election news: Fine Gael on high as Taoiseach re-election approaches; Health Minister in fourth place

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Counts point to first big wins and losses in tight race

6pm: Things are going well for Fine Gael.

Cllr Shane Langrell was optimistic as everyone awaits the results of the first vote count in County Wicklow.

The Fine Gael member campaigned on behalf of both Prime Minister Simon Harris and his running mate Captain Edward Timmins. Results from the first count are expected sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 pm tonight, when Harris appears ready to go to the polls. According to the count, he came first in the poll with a projected 16,634 first preference votes against a quota of 10,971 votes.

Cllr Langrell said: “We knew Simon would do well from the polls, but wow…his first preference votes are excellent. It looks like it will be a dog fight for fourth and final place between Edward Timmins, Shay Cullen and Stephen Donnelly. We’ll see how things go, but Edward definitely has a good chance of getting a place.”

16:54: All is quiet on the eastern front.

There was a great lull between the final count and the first count, and the peculiarity of the day was that the candidates were rarely seen.

Prime Minister Simon Harris is expected to be elected tonight and although he is currently busy elsewhere, brother Adam, sister Gemma and dad Bart are keeping a close eye on the action here.

3:30 p.m.: Whitmore looks set to keep his seat

After all the calculations, Deputy Jennifer Whitmore feels calm and confident.

The count puts the TD Social Democrats in third place with a projected 7,403 first preference votes, a 13.6% share.

She won the Dail seat in the 2020 general election on the first ask and is well placed to retain the seat based on the vote tallies, although the actual counting of votes is still ongoing.

Speaking from the county’s Shoreline Leisure Greystones centre, she said: “I feel very good. I’m always a little nervous until the final bell rings, but things are going well and I’m hoping to get a place. I received a great and positive reception while canvassing and knocking on doors.”

2.30pm: Taoiseach predicted to top poll with huge surplus

With 100% of the 158 boxes counted in Wicklow, a clearer picture is beginning to emerge with Taoiseach Simon Harris on 30.4% (16,634 votes) likely to be the first to cross the line when count one finishes tonight (some They say it’s already 8 pm).

In second place is Sinn Féin’s John Brady with 14.6% (7,985 votes), followed by the Social Democrats’ Jennifer Whitmore with 13.65% (7,403). If Simon Harris is elected as expected, the estimated 5,000 extra votes he will receive could significantly help party colleague Edward Timmins succeed at the expense of a Fianna Fáil man, but he has no intention of contesting the election. second count.

Some big names may be struggling to retain their seats, including big shock Health Secretary Stephen Donnelly, who is currently languishing with just 6.3% of the vote (3,432 votes).

And it will be a blow to the first constituency to declare a climate emergency, with Green hope Stephen Matthews struggling with just 4.1% (2,266 votes).

While there is still work to be done in Garden County, where turnout was a very respectable 65%, it is worth recalling that the 2020 general election was only 0.2% below normal.

Meanwhile, before the actual counting begins, it’s worth mentioning some of the independent candidates who have polled well, including Shay Cullen, who of course left Fine Gael when he wasn’t selected and topped the group with 5.6% (3,037 votes) followed by popular Bray independent councilor Joe Behan on 5.2% (2,831).

The official counting of votes is due to begin soon, and it is believed that two vote counts could be completed before the end of the night.

The number of votes required for election, or quota, is expected to be 10,971.

13:30: 120 boxes counted out of 157.

With 73% of boxes open to count votes in Co Wicklow, Taoiseach Simon Harris leads with a 30.3% share (11,828).

In second position is MP John Brady, Sinn Féin, with a share of 14.6%, followed by MP Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats, with a share of 13.5%.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly moved up to last place with 6.4% of the vote. Cllr Edward Timmins is now in fifth place with a vote share of 5.3%, almost level with independents Cllr Joe Behan (5%) and Shay Cullen (5.2%).

The quota is expected to be between 11,000 and 12,000 votes, meaning Harris should be elected tonight in the first count. Those in the know predict that fourth place will go to Commander Timmins, largely due to Harris’ surplus. But these are just the results; the official count has not yet begun.

12:10: Halfway through the scoring, Harris takes the lead.

We’re just over the halfway point of the Wicklow count here in Greystones, with Simon Harris leading the way with 30.6%; John Brady with 14 percent; Jennifer Whitmore – 13.5%; Edward Timmins – 6.6%; Stephen Donnelly for 6.5 pcs.

The Greens’ Stephen Matthews is just 3.8% behind.

Meanwhile, in terms of transfers in the Greystones area, 50 per cent of Harris is expected to go to his Fine Gael mate Timmins, 20 per cent to Whitmore and 10 per cent to Donnelly.

The fight for that fourth and final spot will be kept to a minimum – and rescheduled!

11.10: Positive for Sinn Féin’s John Brady.

After just over 31% of the boxes had been opened, Sinn Féin’s John Brady – who, by the way, is currently the only leading candidate here – said that “what we’ve seen so far is positive” for him and his party.

“It is quite clear,” he said, “that Fianna Fáil are probably not polling anywhere near what they would have hoped, or the Green Party would have hoped,” he added, attributing this to a “message” from Sinn Féin that he said , rings true with voters who “came out to make a change.”

As things stand, with just over 31 per cent of boxes open, Simon Harris (FG) is still well ahead on 27.9%, followed by John Brady (SAN) on 15.2%, Jennifer Whitmore (Social Democratic party) with 13.5% and Edward Timmins (FG). ) 7.4 pcs. Stephen Donnelly (FF) is trailing at 6.5%.

10.50 Commander Timmins appears ready for Wicklow.

Cllr Edward Timmins of Fine Gael is doing well in the Wicklow constituency, with 6.7% of the vote after 22% of the boxes were opened.

Cllr Timmins, from west Wicklow, is contesting his first general election and his chances look positive, especially as many boxes in west Wicklow, where he lives, have not yet been opened for the votes to be counted. He is currently in fourth place.

Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is currently in seventh place in the four-seater, with independent candidates Shay Cullen and Gerry O’Neill in fifth and sixth.

Fine Gael Cllr Graham Richmond, who campaigned on behalf of Cllr Timmins, said: “Edward is doing well and is definitely in the race. Speaking to some Fianna Fáil members, they think there might be a dog fight between Edward and Stephen Donnelly for the last place. Even with transfers, most Simon Harriss return to Edward, even in places like Bray. “

9:51. Calculations after 15 boxes.

With just 15 boxes open, the leader is Taoiseach Simon Harris with 1,173 votes. His running mate Edward Timmins has some catching up to do as he trails his party leader by just 455 points. John Brady has 656 points and Jennifer Whitmore for the Social Democrats has 585 points. For Fianna Fail, although it is still early, Stephen Donnelly is just 256 votes behind, with the Greens’ Stephen Matthews a further 125 votes behind. Shay Cullen, meanwhile, is in second place. 285. Overall, with 10% of the 157 boxes open, things are fairly quiet here at the county center at Greystone. Conspicuous by the absence of the candidates themselves, however, was John Brady who was the only one spotted hanging around.

9:11 Bookmakers vacate three seats by opening ballot boxes.

Ballot boxes are currently being opened at the Wicklow constituency counting center at Shoreline Leisure Centre, Greystones, where five TDs sit and 13 other candidates nervously await the first vote counts.

There are only four seats up for grabs, with Taoiseach Simon Harris last night favorite to be among those re-elected, with reports that voter turnout in Greystones was 80 per cent, although he is not favorite to continue to be Taoiseach.

Sinn Féin TD John Brady, who topped the poll in 2020 and was elected on the first count, and Social Democrat TD Jennifer Whitmore were picked by bookmakers to come in second and third before betting closed.

If the odds are to be believed, today could be a very awkward day for Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Green TD Stephen Matthews, with former Fine Gael member Shay Cullen, now standing as an independent, missing the decision by just 6/5. fourth place, with Donnelly 1/2 and Matthews 20/1.