Overview

• Fianna Fáil said Gavin withdrew with immediate effect after he acknowledged he "made a mistake" and is taking steps to address it.
• The decision came hours after an RTÉ debate where he said he did not know if he owed a former tenant more than €3,000 and was "looking into it."
• Reporting detailed a €3,300 overpayment dating to 2009 and that the rented Smithfield property was not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.
• The race becomes a two-candidate contest between independent Catherine Connolly and Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys, with Connolly leading in the latest Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll.
• Because the withdrawal came late, Gavin’s name is likely to remain on the 24 October ballot as Fianna Fáil faces questions over vetting and Micheál Martin’s judgment.