Higgins still frontrunner in Áras race

Labour Party presidential candidate Michael D Higgins remains the frontrunner in the race to the Áras, according to the latest poll.

However, a third of voters have not made up their mind or have indicated that they would like another candidate in the election.

The Paddy Power/Red C poll sees Mr Higgins on 36 per cent of the first preference vote, with Gay Mitchell next at 24 per cent.

Independent candidates Sean Gallagher and Mary Davis are on 21 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

Support for Mr Higgins vote has fallen slightly in the last month, down from 39 per cent to 36 per cent while Mr Mitchell and Mr Gallagher's share appears to be relatively stable.

Ms Davis polls well on second preferences, securing 20 per cent of the vote. This suggests suggesting she could move ahead of Mr Gallagher, and then put pressure on the other candidates when transfers are taken into account. She is also the candidate who has made the most gains over the past month, moving from 15 per cent in August to 19 per cent in September.

The poll, conducted for Paddy Power, showed over a third of voters do not believe having an elected president for Ireland is important.

The poll was taken of a representative sample of 908 adults polled between September 5th and 7th.