Who will be elected President of Ireland in 2025?
Ireland's presidential election has a large slate, but only a few lead.
Ireland's 2025 Presidential Race
Across the pond in Ireland, a broad field of candidates is lined up for the country’s presidential election. Ireland's presidency is all about soft power, but the fight to get there is hard politics, and complicated. We’ll unravel it all and show you where the best play is.
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Understanding the Players
Understanding the party landscape is a necessary starting point. Fine Gael, Ireland's center-right party and current leader of the coalition government under Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris, traditionally represents business interests and has strong rural support.
Fianna Fáil, historically Ireland's dominant center party and Fine Gael's coalition partner, positions itself as more populist-centrist.
Sinn Féin, once the political wing of the IRA, has transformed into Ireland's main left-wing opposition party, advocating for Irish reunification and progressive economic policies. These three parties dominate Irish politics and control the nomination machinery for presidential races.
Green Room, Not War Room
The 2025 race will be decided by nomination gatekeepers and vote transfers under Ireland's ranked choice system. Mairead McGuinness was the de facto frontrunner until she withdrew "following medical advice," which forced Fine Gael to reopen its process. McGuinness, a former European Commissioner and Fine Gael stalwart, had the establishment backing before her exit.
Into that vacuum stepped Heather Humphreys and Seán Kelly, both now actively seeking the Fine Gael nod. Humphreys, Fine Gael's former Minister for Social Protection and Rural Development, brings significant cabinet experience and, importantly for Irish politics, comes from a Protestant unionist family background in the border county of Cavan: a unique biography that could appeal across traditional divides.