Holly Cairns

Party colleagues Jennifer Whitmore and Cian O'Callaghan have thrown their support behind Holly Cairns.

Thereported last week that according to party sources, Ms Cairns has been approached internally about becoming the next leader and both Ms Shortall and Ms Murphy are happy with the move. Dublin TD Gary Gannon had previously ruled himself out of the running. In response, Jennifer Whitmore, the Wicklow TD, put her full support behind Ms Cairns.

Holly Cairns will be the next leader of the Social Democrats after all the party's other TDs ruled themselves out of any potential leadership contest.

[https://t.co/OCo565tAWF] [pic.twitter.com/AwfY2ZxIO7] [January 21, 2023] [Earlier this year Ms Cairns and Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan appeared on the RTÉ Late Late Show to discuss the abuse female politicians face.](https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0121/1349988-political-abuse/) [co-leaders and founders of the party Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall announced that they would step down.](https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2023/0222/1358185-social-democrats/) I'm excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats.— Holly Cairns TD (@HollyCairnsTD)

CORK South West TD Holly Cairns is the new leader of the Social Democrats.In a tweet and on Instagram earlier today Deputy Cairns said: 'I'm excited to ...

If they hadn’t had the courage and vision to start a political party eight years ago, there is no way I’d be a TD today. ‘It’s a testament to their incredibly hard work that two TDs from Dublin North West and Kildare North are held in such high regard in Cork South West. In a tweet and on Instagram earlier today Deputy Cairns said: ‘I’m excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats.’

Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns has announced her intentison to run for the leadership of the party.

"I'm putting my full support behind her. In a video posted to Twitter today. Nominations will close at 12pm on Wednesday, March 1st.

Co-leaders Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy announced earlier this week that they were stepping down.

Just so excited about working alongside her over the next couple of years in terms of building the party,” he said. “Someone in a leadership role needs to cover a wide range of issues and I think Holly is very well suited to that. She was previously a councillor for the Social Democrats who won her seat for the party in 2019 by just one vote. “In this situation Holly is a very, very clear, strong frontrunner. Cairns won a Dáil seat for Cork South West in the 2020 general election. Members who have been in the party for at least six months will be eligible to vote. And I’m looking forward to the next chapter,” Whitmore said. “We are a relatively new party, we have made huge inroads. She has massive trust within the party. Holly has been the absolute fore of that in terms of communicating their message and I have all the admiration of the world for what Holly has done to this point in a relatively short period of time. “We’re all really delighted. In a tweet this afternoon the west Cork TD said: “I’m excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats.”

Ms Cairns is expected to be elected as leader unopposed, after other prospective leadership candidates pledged their support to the TD. TD Jennifer Whitmore ...

It's not that I don't think the rest of us have different merits and different qualities — it's just that she has a factor in terms of how she connects with people that would be over and above what others have." "Someone in a leadership role needs to cover a wide range of issues and I think Holly is very well suited to that. Delighted that Holly is going forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats. "Delighted that Holly is going forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats," he wrote on Twitter. I’m excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats. Ms Cairns made the announcement in a tweet: "I’m excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats."

Catalyst for 33-year-old's entry into mainstream political life was the Eighth Amendment referendum in 2018.

She was only the second woman ever elected in west Cork in an election that saw Fine Gael fail to take a seat in the constituency for the first time in more than 60 years. Just nine months later she was standing for election again, this time for a Dáil seat. When the local elections came, she won a council seat by a single vote. Cairns said she has been forced to get CCTV for her home and a domestic security system. The catalyst for her entry into mainstream political life was the referendum on the Eighth Amendment held in 2018. Lately, she has spoken out on the abuse faced by politicians.

The Cork South-West TD is an able Dáil performer — and her ability to appeal to potential new supporters makes her appointment as party leader a no-brainer, ...

While all of that can be taught, on Sunday, her housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan highlighted the key reason for excitement in the Social Democrats about Ms Cairns’ ascension. Appointed the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine, Ms Cairns has been unafraid to both That she is telegenic and became the only female TD in Cork in the process made her success notable. [advocate for](https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-40855271.html) and [criticise](https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-41056727.html) the farming sector where she feels it is accurate to do so. At its outset, it was a triumvirate. [Ms Murphy and Ms Shortall announced](https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41077448.html) earlier this week that they would step aside from the leadership of the party, it was reported in this paper that the plan had been crafted around the elevation of one TD in particular.

This is all very exciting when you consider that Holly was elected [to Cork County Council] by one vote and that led her to running for the Dáil and ...

“She is one of the leading voices in the Dáil when it comes to mother and baby homes. It won a similar amount of first preference votes in the local elections. The Social Democrats has six TDs in the Dáil, and garnered around 2.9% of first preference votes in the 2020 general election. Last week, the party’s co-leaders, Róisín Shortall and Catherine Murphy, announced they are to stand down. Others TDs within the party have indicated they will back Ms Cairn’s bid. “I am delighted to hear that Holly is putting herself forward for the leadership of the Social Democrats and I’m here to say I’m putting my full support behind her, I think Holly would make an incredible leader for the party and I’m looking forward to the next chapter,” said Ms Whitmore.

Holly Cairns has said she is “under no illusions” about the challenges she faces as she becomes the next leader of the Social Democrats.

Ms Whitmore was ready with a video in response in which she said: “I’m delighted to hear that Holly is putting herself forward. “It is a really exciting time for the Social Democrats. She is an organic farmer, who previously worked in Malta for four years, helping people with disabilities. She announced her candidacy on Twitter yesterday. She wrote succinctly in her post: “I’m delighted to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the new leader of the Social Democrats.” Holly Cairns has said she is “under no illusions” about the challenges she faces as she becomes the next leader of the