With a campaign slogan, "3,000 million euro reasons!", former Fianna Fáil Senator Margaret Cox stepped out into the Galway West constituency last night as an Independent candidate.
Her decision to run in the general election came as some surprise yesterday to party colleagues in Fianna Fáil, who were convinced that she had decided against standing.
The Senator narrowly missed taking a third seat for her party in 2002, and was passed over in the controversial party selection procedures in the constituency last year.
Ms Cox fuelled speculation about her intentions when she resigned from the parliamentary party several weeks ago, following her criticism of the Finance Bill in the Seanad.
Ms Cox said her resignation was influenced by a series of "broken promises" to Galway West and to the Border, Midlands and Western region, which she said was suffering from a €3 billion National Development Plan underspend.
