General Election: Noel Jordan not giving up on three in for Sinn Féin

Noel Jordan says he’s enjoyed the experience of running for general election - and hasn’t thrown the towel in just yet.

Jordan is part of the three-pronged Sinn Féin strategy alongside running mates Pearse Doherty and Padraig Mac Lochlainn and tallied 3,382 first preference votes, with the party picking up 32,474 altogether in Donegal.

“We’re still in there with a fighting chance of taking three seats,” Jordan, a native of Mountcharles, said.

“I know it’s a big ask and had been a big ask from the word go, but the way I see it, in my area we have a sitting TD in Thomas Pringle and a Fine Gael candidate in John McNulty. Transfers will have a big influence in my area and I’m hoping to stay in there for as long as possible.

“Looking at the sample from Pearse’s votes, Padraig and myself seem to be getting a fair share of them.”

Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District (MD) of Donegal, Jordan was added to the ticket in early November. He said that the time on the canvas took a while to ignite, although there was a strong finish as interest ramped up.

“Overall, the campaign was a very good one. We just didn't hit the heights of 2020, to get that momentum. In the last 10 days, we had great engagement and that didn’t happen in the first couple of weeks. Folk maybe didn’t want an election. Had we had another week, we would’ve got that extra bit, like where we were in 2020.

“In South Donegal, we targetted maybe 3,500 or 4,000 votes and felt that would keep me in the race and see where the momentum took us. Transfers will decide a lot of seats. I’m glad I have done it and dipped my toe into the water. It’s something different. It’s a big step up and I’m glad I have done it, for the experience. But I won’t be conceding defeat just yet.”