There is no doubt about it but the candidate is a bit of a smoothie. Tall and tanned, Tom Hayes is urbane Tipperary.
He greets The Irish Times with a handshake of welcome to his constituency, followed swiftly by a kiss on the cheek. "You'll do a good job for me now on this, won't you?" he asks. Such a request could prompt an instinct to do just the opposite but Tom Hayes gets away with it. He has an easy charm that makes for very good canvassing, especially with the females of the species.
He's standing on Main Street, Cashel, seeking out the people of South Tipperary as they dip in and out of shops. They're in a hurry but seem to have a little time for Hayes and his constantly repeated question: "You'll be looking after me, you will?"
This is virtually home territory for Hayes, who is from the village of Golden. Of the candidates declared for this by-election he is the only one of last year's field running for the second time, having come in second then.
This time he has a new party leader, and canvassing partner, Michael Noonan. People seem glad to get the opportunity to shake his hand. "I'd like to meet this man," said one woman who has just come out of the supermarket. Standing back, she appraises him: "You're a different-looking man walking around," she says.
He doesn't have the easy manner of Hayes and could never be accused of gregariousness but neither is he stiff and uncomfortable. He's even up for the odd joke. In Davern's clothes shop (territory of the Fianna Fail Minister of State Mr Noel Davern) he refers to the possible conflict of a Tipperary/Limerick hurling match. He points to his tie which sports Tipperary's gold and blue. "I'm wearing a Tipperary tie and I'll be shouting for Limerick. In my job you have to have an each-way bet," he tells the two lads behind the counter.
It's Friday afternoon and the results of the three referendums, and those of the Westminster elections, are still coming in. Yet nobody on the street mentions anything about them. In fact, nobody seems to have any burning issues that they wish to discuss.
The month-long campaign is just a week old but in Tipperary everybody still seems to be waiting for the off.
One woman wants to give out about the increase in the price of school bus tickets: "Ye were all to do something and ye did nothing," she tells them. "But we're not in government," explains the Fine Gael leader.
Another has a housing complaint. Afterwards Tom Hayes says three moves have been arranged already but that some people are never happy. Still, he stood and listened to the gripe.
The evening canvass takes place on the edge of the town in Upper Friar Street, a row of well kept old council houses. No issues stand out here.
In Tipperary town and Carrick-on-Suir, it's different. Healthcare, promised decentralisation that hasn't happened and a lack of investment are regularly mentioned.
There is only one negative response. The man who answers the door has a go at the former minister for health for what happened to the Tipperary health services during his tenure. "Ya left us down, the people of Clonmel," he says. Michael Noonan gives a defence of himself and points to the Government "who have done nothing for four years".
He moves on. Out of 20 houses canvassed one irate response isn't a bad tally. But just as this is a test of Tom Hayes it is also a test of Michael Noonan. The people of South Tipperary are going to be seeing him almost as much as the candidate in the next three weeks. No one mentions the importance of winning this electoral contest but they don't need to: Fine Gael is giving its all to this campaign.