Castlebar Councillor Ger Deere has become the latest local politician to give their support to Simon Harris for the position of party leader.
It comes as Paschal Donohue and Heather Humphreys are the latest Ministers to have ruled themselves out of the running for the position.
In a statement to Midwest News today Councillor Deere says -
As a member of Fine Gael and having discussed the resignation of Leo Varadkar as Taoiseach and party leader with constituents and colleagues, I will be supporting Simon Harris for the position of Fine Gael President and Party Leader.
I have previously supported Simon Coveney in the last leadership election in 2017. As Mr. Coveney has ruled himself out of the election on this occasion, I am fully endorsing Mr. Harris.
A very capable and articulate politician, I believe that Simon has proven himself to be a very effective Minister in all portfolios held since he was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2011 and being appointed to the Cabinet in 2016. I have seen this first hand, having worked with him closely on the expansion and development of ATU Castlebar and Mayo College of Further Education.
I also believe he has a great understanding of the issues affecting both rural and urban Ireland. He represents a unique rural constituency in County Wicklow which should allow Fine Gael to rebuild our rural base while continuing to appeal to urban voters.