Independent candidate Peter Casey will today nominate himself to stand in Dublin West in the 2020 general election.
The Donegal-Derry businessman, who is already running in the Donegal constituency, is set to file his papers to also run in Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s constituency by the midday deadline today.
Casey confirmed his candidacy this morning and said he was putting himself forward to allow voters to make a “protest vote” against Varadkar.
“My heart is in Donegal and I want to be elected here but I also want to let the people of Dublin know exactly how poor a politician Leo Varadkar is,” Casey told Donegal Daily on Saturday.
“Leo Varadkar told people not to vote for me during the Presidential election and now I will do the same to him.
“I plan to tell the people of his constituency what a poor Taoiseach he has been. All you have to do is look at his record. He has been in charge during Swing-Gate, the disgrace over the rising costs of the children’s hospital, the ongoing homeless crisis and the broadband debacle.”
Casey finished second behind Michael D Higgins in the 2018 presidential election with more than 340,000 first-preference votes. He contested in the European Parliament elections in May 2019 and finished fifth in the four-seat Midlands-North West constituency.