At the start of the campaign Denise Mitchell (43) looked vulnerable to defeat but after Sinn Féin's seismic surge in the opinion polls that is certainly not an issue for her now.
A low-key TD who has lived all her life in Coolock, she is married with a young family. A community activist, she first tried unsuccessfully for the 2009 local elections but had better luck in 2014 when she ran for the Beaumont Donaghmede area, followed by her successful run at the Dáil in 2016 when she took the fourth seat.
Sinn Féin’s deputy whip, she is spokeswoman on Dublin and junior spokeswoman on housing and previously spoke for the party on social protection, children and youth affairs.
Seen as close to party leader Mary Lou McDonald, she is a regular contributor to the Dáil, most recently on the party’s Bill to freeze rents and give tax credits worth a month’s rent to tenants.
“This Government has given tax breaks to developers and landlords, and it is now time to give renters that same break,” she said.
