IRELAND – Openly gay Irish Sen. David Norris has finally secured enough nominations to stand for president. With less than 24 hours to go to the close of nominations Sen. Norris secured a nomination with the endorsement of Dublin City Council with 30 councilors voting for his nomination, six against and 11 abstaining. This now means a record seven candidates have been nominated to contest the election Oct. 27.
Norris, 67, had pulled out of the race in August over controversy surrounding a letter of support he had written for a former partner who was convicted of raping a 15-year-old boy. But earlier this month, he announced he would stand after receiving a “consistent outpouring of public support”.
After securing the nomination Norris thanked the city councilors for their support and told the Irish Times, “I am delighted and honored and indeed humbled – a word I don’t often use – by the wonderful exercise in democracy that we’ve had here this evening.”
Norris told the Irish Times that the quest for a nomination had been “a bit bruising” at times but he added that he had made many friends on his travels around the state. “I hope I’ve made no enemies.”
He added, “If I can make this kind of comeback I hope to God as president I’ll be able to help the country make the kind of comeback that it and its people deserve.”
