Yet another prominent midlander has been approached by Fianna Fail and asked to consider standing for the seat which will become vacant when the former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, retires from the Dail.
The national president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association, Mr Pat O'Rourke, confirmed a report in the Longford Leader that he had been approached to stand for the seat.
While he would not confirm the approach had been made by Fianna Fail, it is understood the Edgeworthstown-man refused an offer from senior party activists in the county.
Confirming the report, Mr O'Rourke said he had been flattered by the approach by people both inside and outside political parties.
"My role as president of ICMSA is non-political as it is an apolitical group and my job is to represent all farmers from every sector of society," he said.
"The interests of farmers, including those in the midlands, who have been going through a very tough time recently, is my priority at the present time.
"I am halfway through the first year of a two-year term as president and the maximum term as an ICMSA president is six years," he said.
He had been flattered by the approaches because he felt it was recognition for the ICMSA and for the hard work he had been involved in for rural communities, especially in his native Longford.
In addition to his presidential duties, Mr O'Rourke is chairman of Longford Community Resources Ltd, which runs the LEADER2 programme in the county.
Mr O'Rourke now joins an elite band of "names" from the county who have had offers from Fianna Fail.
They include Ciaran Mullooly, RTE's midlands correspondent, and John Donlon, the Longford-born journalist.
Fianna Fail holds its selection convention in the autumn to pick a candidate to replace the former Taoiseach.