Holly Cairns will be the next leader of the Social Democrats after all the party's other TDs ruled themselves out of any potential leadership contest.
The Cork South-West TD took to Twitter to confirm she would put herself forward and she was "excited" to do so.
Fellow TDs Jennifer Whitmore and Cian O'Callaghan have now ruled themselves out and are backing Ms Cairns.
Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon ruled himself out of the running earliest this week.
I'm excited to announce that I am putting myself forward to be the next leader of the Social Democrats.
— Holly Cairns TD (@HollyCairnsTD) February 26, 2023
Last Wednesday, co-leaders and founders of the party Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall announced that they would step down.
Ms Cairns will officially take over as leader of the party at noon on Wednesday when nominations close.
She is a first-time TD and became a county councillor in 2019.
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Read more: Cairns' ascension marks generational change for Social Democrats
Female politicians have recounted abuse including being spat at and having coins thrown at them, as well as an incident involving an election poster being displayed in a graveyard | Read more: https://t.co/OCo565tAWF pic.twitter.com/AwfY2ZxIO7
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 21, 2023
Ms Cairns said there was a reluctance for abuse victims to come forward for fear of being pigeon-holed as weak.
However, she said she came to the realisation that if female politicians do not talk about the issue, it will be impossible to identify why it is happening and where it is coming from to find a solution to address it.
Ms Cairns added that abuse is often sexualised when it comes to women.
In recent times, she has had to get a new lock for the door, blinds, install CCTV, and not have a traditional constituency clinic due to safety risks, she said.
