Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats has said people in Dublin Central “bought into our authenticity” as a party and vowed not to “compromise” on the party’s values.
The party topped the poll in the northside constituency, with candidate Daniel Ennis taking nearly 20% of the vote.
As other candidates were excluded, Mr Ennis opened up a comfortable lead over Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan and was elected on the ninth count.
On Newstalk Breakfast, his constituency colleague, Gary Gannon, predicted he would make a “huge contribution” to Dáil Éireann and said the party is “very excited” to have him.
“You can clearly see in Dublin Central, the left and progressive candidates have done really well,” he said.
“Daniel Ennis had a huge vote, so too did Janet Horner and Sinn Féin were obviously there as well.
“From our own perspective, it was a vote of confidence in people who are progressive in our output, positive in terms of how they try to campaign.
“I think people bought into our authenticity.”
Daniel Ennis arriving the Dublin by-election count at the RDS in Dublin. Picture by: Justin Farrelly/RollingNews.ie.Deputy Gannon added that the main issue on the doors continues to be the cost of living, with many people struggling with the impact of inflation.
“Nobody seems to be feeling the benefits from the kind of wealth that we’re told we have in this country,” he said.
“That was reflected on the doors, whether you’re in the inner city, the more affluent parts of the constituency.
“People just aren’t necessarily feeling what we’re told are the positives of the economy.”
The Dublin Central TD added that Ireland would “absolutely” have a left-wing Government at some point and said the Social Democrats would like to be part of it.
“But does that mean we’re going to equivocate or compromise in terms of the positions we hold? Absolutely not,” he said.
“That’s what people really see in the Social Democrats; people they can trust to stay true to their values and the courage of their convictions.”
Main image: The Social Democrats with their candidate Daniel Ennis. Picture by: Justin Farrelly/RollingNews.ie.
