This contribution was originally published in the Irish Independent on October 20th 2025.

Heather Humphreys seems to have an almost inconceivable mountain to climb to close the gap with Catherine Connolly at this stage.

What is puzzling is how her campaign remains stuck in a general election mindset, defending her record, talking government policy and doing photo ops with party colleagues. While shaking hands and holding babies might win votes in the village, it’s hard to imagine it building significant momentum in a national campaign, especially when many voters are already disillusioned with the very government she’s continuing to associate herself with.

In the absence of teleportation, you can only be in so many places at once. This is where a digital footprint comes in handy and again the Humphreys campaign is lacking. The numbers speak for themselves: Connolly has 90 percent of the combined following and 20 times the engagement on Instagram. Even on Facebook, which skews to an older demographic, Connolly still holds 70 percent of followers.

Social media may not win elections, but it helps explain early and sustained momentum of one campaign over the other.

Humphreys might keep her toaster in the press, but unless something changes quickly, it’s her campaign that’ll be toast.