Cork East: Fine Gael's Stanton beaten by slim margin as Social Democrats Quaide takes seat

Another surprising elimination in the Cork East constituency occurred on the final count, where Fine Gael’s first-time candidate Mark Stanton was beaten out by a slim margin of 132 votes by Social Democrats candidate Liam Quaide.

Mr Stanton, the son of outgoing TD David Stanton, who served in the constituency for 27 years before announcing his retirement earlier this year, appeared dejected following the news of his exclusion.

While he was initially topping the poll in a three-way tie after the first tally on Saturday, with 12% of first-preference votes, alongside re-elected candidates James O’Connor (Fianna Fáil) and Pat Buckley (Sinn Féin), Mr Stanton was ultimately unsure of his footing yesterday as the final ballots were being scored.

Shy

In the end, the Midleton native came in at 7,793 first-preference votes, significantly shy of the 9,602 vote quota, by 1,809 votes.

Following the declaration of his loss, flanked by family and campaign members, Mr Stanton spoke to The Echo, saying that he plans to return to his hobbies in the meantime before deciding on what his next steps in the political world will be.

“I’m obviously disappointed, but I’m delighted for Noel [McCarthy], he really deserves it, he ran a fantastic campaign and has been in the council for the last 15 years,” he said.

“Liam [Quaide] is a fantastic candidate as well, they’re both really good guys, I know them from around Midleton.

“I’m disappointed for myself, I think we put in a really good campaign, but I wish all the candidates elected today the very best.”

Unsure

Speaking candidly on his plans for the coming days and for future elections, Mr Stanton said he was unsure if he will be returning to the ballot next time around.

“I don’t know, I’ll spend a couple of days now chatting with family about it and figuring myself out from there,” he said.

“I know I’ll be at rugby training on Tuesday night, I have been absent from that for the last couple of weeks, so the lads can expect me back.

“From there, I have a couple of decisions to make, but I am glad to have the support of my family and friends in making them.”

Previous to this most recent stint at public representation, Mr Stanton served as president of the Students’ Union at University College Cork, where he represented 20,000 students on a range of issues, and for the past eight years, has worked in the recruitment sector in Ireland and Britain.

In a proud fatherly moment, commenting on his son vying for a Dáil seat, David Stanton said he, and anyone who runs for public office, should be commended.

“Anybody, no matter who they are, [that] puts their name on the ballot paper, and puts themselves up to be a public figure, and I’ve been there, makes a lot of sacrifices from a personal and privacy point of view,” he said.