Ben Harkin, one of the six people nominated to contest the general election for Fianna Fáil, has announced his withdrawal from the selection convention on Thursday night.
In a statement, Harkin says while he was honoured to be nominated, he wouldn’t wish to contest against sitting Minister, Charlie McConalogue.
He says that he hopes that he can one day represent Fianna Fáil and wished the rest of the candidates the best of luck.
The full statement:
Ben Harkin, one of the six people nominated to contest the general election for Fianna Fáil, has announced today, Tuesday, his withdrawal from the selection convention on Thursday night.
“It was a great honour to get nominated to be a potential general election candidate by Fianna Fáil members in Donegal. However, I wouldn’t wish to contest against a sitting Minister, Charlie McConalogue who has delivered so much for Donegal, and our farmers and fisheries.”
“I was delighted with the support I received over the last few weeks, both from within the party and outside of it. This was a great opportunity to discuss some of the things that I feel need to be focused on in Donegal by the next government, like our renewable energy potential and our crippling infrastructure deficit.”
“I’m a very proud Donegal man, and while I wasn’t in a position to be successful this time, I hope that someday I can represent our county for Fianna Fáil. I want to wish the rest of the candidates contesting the convention the very best of luck, and am looking forward to getting to meet with the Donegal members of Fianna Fáil and getting the general election campaign underway on Thursday evening.”
