His party is now closely behind its main coalition partner, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin’s centrist colleagues, Fianna Fáil, with 21 percent, and Mary Lou McDonald’s left-wing opposition Sinn Féin, with 20 percent.

Fine Gael had led in every poll since June, shortly after Harris, 38, replaced a Leo Varadkar exhausted as taoiseach and party leader, reinvigorating a party seeking to extend a record 14 years in power.

Fine Gael’s campaign focused on Harriscovering the country with posters depicting his face and the slogan “New Energy”. He crisscrosses the country daily to seemingly shake every hand on offer with a party-provided media bus.

But this personality-driven campaign exploded in his face Friday evening.

Pressing the flesh at a supermarket checkout, Harris first attempted to quickly overtake Charlotte Fallon. But soon he was arguing with her as Fallon questioned why her government wasn’t properly funding disability support workers like her. Harris stiffly dismissed his complaints, then attempted to end the exchange with a curt handshake and a pirouette toward the exit door.

“Keep shaking hands and pretending you’re a good man,” Fallon called back. This prompted Harris to turn around, only to give up and turn away again, once she told him to his face, “You are not a good man.” »