Fianna Fáil TD Jim O'Callaghan believes his party will perform well in the upcoming Dublin by-election.
He said he thinks his party's performance in Government has been good, and that some Fine Gael voters will be "unimpressed" the party has given up its seat in the constituency.
The vote in Dublin Bay South has been triggered by the decision of former housing minister Eoghan Murphy to resign his Dáil seat.
The Fine Gael TD said he's leaving frontline politics to return to working in international affairs.
All the major parties are expected to contest the upcoming election, with much speculation around who exactly will be on the ticket.
In the Green Party camp, for example, many expect Dublin's Lord Mayor Hazel Chu to seek her party's nomination - but she faces tough competition from local councillor Claire Byrne.
Familiar names such as Labour's Ivana Bacik and Fine Gael's Kate O'Connell could also be in the running.
It's not yet clear whether the vote will take place during the summer or later in the year.
On today's On The Record with Gavan Reilly, Deputy O'Callaghan - who represents Dublin Bay South - said his party will likely be putting forward one of two local councillors: Claire O'Connor or Deirdre Conroy.
He said either councillor would make an "excellent candidate".
He observed: “I believe we will perform well. I’ll work with whatever candidate is there.
“I think it will be a great opportunity for Fianna Fáil to resurrect and grow again in that part of Dublin.
“This is a constituency that traditionally isn’t a stronghold for Fianna Fáil support - usually it’s a strong Fine Gael area.
“This isn’t a traditional Fianna Fáil heartland… I’m sure the bookies aren’t making Fianna Fáil the favourites. But all I know is we will run an effective and strong campaign out there.”
Electoral issues
In last year's general election, the Dublin Bay South poll was topped by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan.
Deputy O'Callaghan secured the final seat in the constituency, with Fine Gael's Kate O'Connell narrowly missing out.
However, the Fianna Fáil TD doesn't believe the electoral dynamics will be the same this time around.
He told Gavan he doesn't expect the vote to be a ‘binary choice’ between government and opposition, as there'll be lots of different candidates in the running for just a single seat.
In terms of the issues likely to dominate the race, Deputy O'Callaghan said he expects the likes of youth unemployment to be key focuses.
The ongoing impact of the pandemic is also likely to be on voters' minds when they cast their ballots.
Deputy O'Callaghan said: “I think one of the big issues will be the country recovering from the pandemic.
“We’ve only been in Government for about ten months. I think our performance has been good during those ten months.
“I think a lot of Fine Gael will be unimpressed that Fine Gael has given up its seat in the constituency."
