SOCIAL DEMOCRATS LEADER Holly Cairns has chalked her party’s success in the Dublin Central byelection down to the fact that they ran a positive and inclusive campaign. 

The Cork South West TD was beaming as she spoke to reporters at the RDS count centre this afternoon alongside her party’s candidate Daniel Ennis. 

“To say it’s a great day for the party is an understatement,” she said, adding that it is an “emotional day”.

“When I stepped into the role of leader of this party, I said I was unashamedly ambitious about the future of this party, and to see that more and more voters, when they’re looking for an alternative, are looking to the Social Democrats is just amazing to see,” Cairns said.

Ennis, a Dublin City councillor, has topped the poll in the Dublin Central byelection, with 4,903 first-preference votes. 

His victory isn’t official yet, but based on previous transfer patterns, he is expected to remain ahead of his closest rival, Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan, who received 4,348 first preference votes. 

“It’s a testament to the incredible work that Dan has put in, and that his campaign team has put in. It was a hugely positive campaign. It was a message of hope and of inclusion, and it really clearly resonated with voters in Dublin Central, and we’re just so immensely proud of him, of Gary [Gannon], of all the campaign team in Dublin Central,” Cairns said.

She added that her party was “really happy” with their candidate, Míde Nic Fhionnlaoich in Galway West too. Nic Fhionnlaoich received 7% of first preference votes in Galway West.

Social Democrats candidate Daniel Ennis celebrates with his fiancée Chloe as the pair arrive at the Dublin Central alongside party leader Holly Cairns. pic.twitter.com/rCgZocExJe

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When asked why he thinks his campaign resonated so well with voters, Ennis responded: 

“It was just listening to people, you know, meeting them where they were, whether you agree with them or not. I believe in the politics of decency, politics of hope and inclusion, and people wanted that on the doors.

“They wanted that positive approach, they wanted change, but they wanted positive change. And I really can’t thank everybody that’s turned out, right across the constituency.”

He added: “It’s all still a bit mad but I’m taking it in my stride and I’m in politics for the right reasons.”

A win from Ennis will mean Dublin Central will have two Social Democrats TDs, a first for the party to have two TDs in one constituency.

Asked what it says about the trajectory of the party, Cairns told reporters that “more and more people are looking for an alternative to this government, and more and more people are looking to the Social Democrats for that alternative, and that election shows this.”

On whether there is enough room for two SocDems in Dublin Central come the next general election, Ennis and Gannon both laughed off the question.

“I want to build a big brilliant party, and the Social Democrats are doing that, and we need to find big brilliant people, and in Daniel, we have one of those,” Gannon answered.