Midlands TD's odds for FF leader role cut

BoyleSports has placed Laois/Offaly Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen as fourth favourite in the race to replace Micheál Martin as party leader.

The bookmakers has reported some backing for Cowen's candidature and trimmed his odds from 12/1 to 7/1.

Successive opinion polls have made troubled reading for Fianna Fáil with the party lagging behind both Sinn Féin (35%) and Fine Gael (22%) in this month’s Ireland Thinks poll for the Sunday Independent.

Now speculation on a successor to Martin as party leader is on the up and Barry Cowen is being backed as a possible contender.

The Laois-Offaly TD has been cut into 7/1 from 12/1 by BoyleSports, making him the fourth most likely successor behind O’Callaghan, who remains the frontrunner should a vacancy arise.

But the odds on the Dublin Bay South TD have been eased out to 9/4 from 6/4, with Michael McGrath currently rated the second favourite at 3/1.

Next Fianna Fáil Leader

9/4 Jim O'Callaghan

3/1 Michael McGrath

13/2 James Lawless

7/1 Barry Cowen

8/1 Darragh O'Brien

8/1 Jack Chambers

11/1 Dara Calleary

12/1 Thomas Byrne

12/1 Norma Foley

14/1 Niall Collins

25/1 bar