Fianna Fáil Presidential candidate Jim Gavin has dropped out of the race amid a scandal regarding unpaid debts to a tenant, leaving the party on the hook for a serious sum of money in sunk campaign costs.
However, at this late stage in the campaign, Gavin’s name will remain on the ballot and he will officially be a candidate in the race, even though he has stepped down.
If Gavin can pull in enough votes despite being out of the race, Fianna Fáil may still be entitled to reclaim a substantial portion of the money it spent on its failed presidential campaign.
Here’s how the reimbursement rules work – and just how close (or far) the party could be from getting some of its money back.
Under Irish electoral law, presidential candidates are entitled to have their campaign expenses reimbursed if their total number of votes exceeds one quarter of the quota.
In simple terms, the quota is the minimum number of votes that are needed for victory in an election such as the presidency. The quota changes every election based on the total number of valid votes cast. If a candidate can secure one quarter of this number in votes, they are entitled to a good chunk of their money back.
In August 2025, Fianna Fáil Minister James Browne signed an order increasing the maximum reimbursement from €200,000 to €250,000.
According to reporting by Extra.ie, Fianna Fáil’s campaign for Jim Gavin cost around €500,000, with the largest single expense being election posters, estimated at roughly €126,000 for 18,000 signs nationwide.
Additional spending included:
– 2,000 large 4ft-by-4ft signs, installed by party members;
– Leaflets and printed campaign materials sent across the country;
– Around €20,000 on social media advertising;
– External communications consultants hired to assist in campaign messaging.
One Fianna Fáil source described the cost as “a massive waste”, telling Extra.ie that activists were frustrated at the scale of spending for a candidate that “didn’t even finish the race”.
Looking at the last three presidential elections that were contested, the average quota across these elections is about 752,000, meaning a quarter of that is roughly 188,000 votes needed to recoup some lost expenses.
So, in an average election, Fianna Fáil would need around 188,000 votes nationwide for Jim Gavin’s campaign to qualify for reimbursement – even if he doesn’t win.
Furthermore, if voter turnout is lower than average due to low public enthusiasm, which some commentators anticipate it will be, then the required number of votes would also fall, potentially making reimbursement even easier to reach.
If Gavin reaches the quarter-of-a-quota threshold, Fianna Fáil would be entitled to claim up to €250,000 back in campaign expenses – half of what the party reportedly spent.
That would significantly cushion the blow of the €500,000 campaign bill, though the party would still be left with a substantial loss overall.
Party leader Micheál Martin has come under intense pressure since Gavin dropped out, due to the fact that he strongly pushed for Gavin to be the party’s candidate, only for the campaign to end early in a blaze of scandal, bad PR, and wasted campaign finances.