POLL SHOWS TANAISTE FACING BATTLE TO RETAIN SEAT
A new Millward Browne poll shows Labour’s Joan Burton is facing an uphill battle to retain her Dail seat in the Dublin-West constituency.
The survey, which is published in the Irish Independent, polled 520 voters and was carried out between the 5th and 8th of February.
The specific constituency poll shows Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar and Sinn Fein’s Paul Donnelly on 20 percent.
Fianna Fail’s Jack Chambers is on 17 percent, Ruth Coppinger of the Anti-Austerity Alliance is on 15 percent followed by Tanaiste Joan Burton on 10 percent.
Group political editor of Independent news and media, Kevin Doyle, says the poll shows Joan Burton is more transfer friendly than Ruth Coppinger.
“Leo is only on 20 percent – which is good enough for him, but isn’t going to give him a huge surplus” he said.
“43 percent of people who said they’d give their first preference to Fine Gael – who are by and large Leo Varadkar supporters – are going to give their second preference to Labour”.
“If Joan Burton does get elected, it is going to be on the back of Leo Varadkar – she is going to have to thank him very much”.
“But the problem is he isn’t quite at that level that there’s going to be a huge surplus for him to give away” he added.
“Elsewhere, Independent David McGuinness stands on 9 percent with Ind. Geoff Boyle on 3 percent – followed by Fine Gael’s Catherine Noone, Independent TJ Clare and the Green’s Roderic O’Gorman all on 2 percent. Independent Lorna Nolan stands on 1 percent.”
