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The playbook for presidential election campaigns has been thrown out the window. The received wisdom of candidates maintaining a dignified public appearance has not been followed, especially on the Fine Gael side. Contrast the approach of Heather Humphreys’ campaign in the first live TV debate in which she tried to stay above the fray and the political attacks on her opponent, Catherine Connolly, in the past few days.
Yes, the gloves are off. And we expect the second and final live debate tonight on RTÉ’s Prime Time to be a tense and bad-tempered affair.
Because of the way in which the hostilities between both camps have escalated, there is going to be extraordinary focus on that debate.
Could it be another 2011 moment when the trailing candidate overturns a seemingly unassailable lead?
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