Fianna Fáil Leadership Fallout Tops Airwaves as Most Defining and Negative Story of 2025 Presidential Election

The latest Everhaze “Battle of the Airwaves” report has found that Fianna Fáil’s leadership turmoil was the most defining and negatively framed story of the 2025 Presidential election, eclipsing all other topics across more than 16,000 radio mentions. The fallout, which was intertwined with Jim Gavin’s withdrawal generated over 2,000 mentions resulting in a sustained national discussion and an average negative weighted sentiment of –43.8 pp, the lowest of the election.

Amid the turbulence, Maria Steen emerged as an unexpected winner of the campaign, gaining national prominence on a non-polarising current securing 1,300 mentions largely avoiding controversy and securing net sentiment of +1.0 pp. In contrast, the two leading candidates, Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys, were both drawn into negative narratives late in the race, as Connolly’s “Bank Representation” (-3.6 pp) and Humphreys’ “Shane O’Farrell” (-4.2 pp) storylines became the most damaging stories of their respective campaigns.

Connolly ultimately led the airwaves in the final fortnight (44.1% share of voice, +2.3 pp net sentiment) with coverage driven by governance reform and community advocacy themes. Humphreys followed at 37.3% (–2.6 pp), her tone weighed down by ongoing justice and departmental accountability discussions. Gavin’s residual post-withdrawal commentary held 18.6% (–3.6 pp) and remained strongly associated with leadership fallout.

Local radio again proved decisive, accounting for 72% of all mentions, while national talk shows supplied narrative framing and tone moderation. Overall sentiment across the campaign closed slightly negative (–0.8 pp net), underscoring a cycle defined more by leadership disruption and controversy than by policy promotion.

Speaking about the findings, James McCann, CEO of Everhaze said:

“Jim Gavin’s withdrawal from the race, and the ensuing fallout for Fianna Fáil’s leadership, will likely stand as the defining story of the 2025 Presidential campaign. Equally striking is how Maria Steen’s absence from the ballot became an unexpected advantage. The sheer volume of her mentions, combined with their notably non-polarising tone, propelled her into national prominence without the burden of controversy. It’s also unsurprising that Catherine Connolly was the only candidate to finish with a positive sentiment score, largely because Heather Humphreys’ campaign struggled to generate strong counter-narratives capable of offsetting a series of negative stories.”

The Battle of the Airwaves: Irish Presidential Campaign 2025 report analysed more than 16,000 radio mentions from 60 stations nationwide, tracking sentiment, share of voice, geography, and trend dynamics between 24 September and 25 October 2025.

Everhaze is an Irish-built PR intelligence platform that tracks real-time media coverage across radio, print, and online sources in Ireland and the UK. Its technology combines broadcast capture with AI-driven analysis to map who is getting talked about, where, and in what tone. The platform is widely used by communicators to monitor campaigns, understand sentiment shifts, and measure share of voice.

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