Councillors would reject Conor McGregor bid for presidential nomination, survey suggests
None of almost 190 local authority members surveyed this week said they would support former UFC fighter Conor McGregor’s nomination for the presidency.
A survey carried out by The Irish Times of the State’s 949 councillors has indicated that public representatives are bracing for an onslaught of pressure to support McGregor, including from prominent supporters of Donald Trump’s administration and billionaire Elon Musk.
At least one council has convened a meeting to discuss how to respond if McGregor seeks its nomination.
McGregor, who a High Court civil jury last year found raped Dublin woman Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018, faces an uphill battle to get on the ballot paper in this year’s election to replace President Michael D Higgins.
He will require the nomination of 20 members of the Oireachtas or four local authorities.
The Irish Times contacted each of the 949 members of the 31 local authorities by email seeking their views on a McGregor candidacy. Of those, 188 responded, about one in five.
All but one said they would vote no if McGregor sought a nomination from their local authority.
In their opposition, councillors cited the verdict in last year’s civil rape case, McGregor’s apparent ignorance of the President’s constitutional role and his increasingly far-right and anti-immigration views.
The three largest parties in the State – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin – all appear likely to run candidates, which means their councillors will be unlikely to support any Independent candidate’s nomination.
This would leave McGregor seeking support from Independents or members of smaller parties, particularly those who may share some of views on immigration.
On Thursday, Dublin City Council’s protocol committee met to discuss its approach should McGregor seek its backing, Independent councillor Mannix Flynn said.
Councillor Flynn said he put forward a proposal, which was accepted, that anyone seeking a nomination will have to abide by a “code of conduct” and show respect for the council and the presidency.
“I believe what we have here is a recipe for disaster and the undermining of the offices of the local authority and, even more, the office of the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, Frances Black has said some opposition parties have asked if she is willing to consider entering the race for the Áras this year.
The Independent Senator told RTÉ's The Late Late Show that she is “not actively seeking” a nomination to run in the presidential election but is open to the idea.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled out running for the presidency this year, saying he made a commitment to people in his Cork South Central constituency that he would represent them for the full Dáil term.
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar has also ruled out running for president in November and declined to say which Fine Gael figure he supported to be the party’s candidate.
