McFadden wants clear election run for Fine Gael

Senator Nicky McFadden has said this week she believes Fine Gael should run one Westmeath candidate if a general election is called. "Personally I believe it would be the best situation to run one candidate in Westmeath, but I'm not sure what the party would do," she said. Senator McFadden made her comments this week following reports at the weekend that Fine Gael hopes to gain 31 seats in the Dáil if a general election is called in the near future. The party wants to make a gain of one seat in Longford/Westmeath where Longford's James Bannon is the only sitting TD for the party. Senator McFadden will have the support of her party colleague Mayor Mark Cooney, who said this week: "I would see that the Fine Gael candidate would be Nicky McFadden and I will be supporting her." Mayor Cooney's comments come amidst speculation that he may have considered running for the party after he set up his own legal firm in the town last month. He will, however, be backing Senator McFadden, who told the Westmeath Independent this week she believes there will be a general election before the year is out and said she is on election alert. The Fine Gael party is clearly gearing up for a general election sooner rather than later and is seeking out high-profile candidates, both from within and outside the party. The party will be looking for candidates with economic and business experience in the current economic climate.