ALTHOUGH he has been eliminated from the race to Dáil Éireann, Green Party candidate Michael White says he has been encouraged by the performance
First-time candidate White took 1,656 first preference votes and says the Greens are ‘on the scoreboard’ now against the established parties.
“When the election was called, we didn’t even have a bank account, but now we’re confidence that we will do much better in the next election,” White told Donegal Daily.
“We are starting off where Sinn Féin were in 2002, with a low base and low resources. We are happy to get on the scoreboard and compete with the machines.
“We have come from a zero base and we have got on the scoreboard. I am actually really happy that we got a good vote and we have a good base.”
White confirmed that the Green Party intends to run candidates in future local election in Donegal.
White’s 2,339 votes will now be distributed.
The four-into-three battle between Charlie McConalogue, Pat The Cope Gallagher, Thomas Pringle and Joe McHugh is hotting up with 1,116 separating the quartet.
So far, only Sinn Féin duo Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn have been elected from the Donegal Constituency.
Fifth count – Distribution of Peter Casey’s 2,132 votes
Charlie McConalogue +347 9,425
Thomas Pringle +326 8,947
Pat The Cope Gallagher +176 8,905
Joe McHugh +139 8,309
John O’Donnell +277 6,168
Martin Harley +124 3,650
Mary T Sweeney +221 3,349
Michael White +119 2,339
