Outgoing Mayo senator confirms departure from national politics
Outgoing Mayo Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa Chambers has confirmed her departure from frontline national politics.
In a statement to The Connaught Telegraph, the former TD and county councillor said she is preparing for the next chapter in her life after failing to win a Dáil seat in Mayo in last November's general election.
She is not contesting the forthcoming Seanad elections and did not seek a party nomination to do so after serving as Leader of the House in the last administration.
Ms. Chambers outlined: "I have taken a decision to leave public life after my 11-year involvement, firstly as a county councillor, then as a TD for five years before serving in the Senate.
"However, I am not at this stage completely ruling out a return at some point in the future.
"But, for now, I am planning to take a new direction in my life."
Asked if that involved returning to her legal career, she explained she has not made a decision in that regard as yet.
Ms. Chambers took the opportunity to thank everybody who supported her throughout her political career, including members of the party at local and national level.
She served on Mayo County Council from 2014 to 2016 before being elected a TD in the 2016 general election and served in the role until 2020.
A barrister by profession, she was appointed as Leader of the Fianna Fáil group in An Seanad by her party leader Micheál Martin in 2020 after losing her Dáil seat.
She was Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on European and Foreign Affairs in the Seanad and also chaired the Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
While the emergence of Sinn Féin's Rose Conway-Walsh ultimately cost Chambers her seat in 2020, she subsequently attributed the outcome to her support for repealing the Eighth Amendment "in what is predominantly a conservative constituency, particularly among Fianna Fail voters."
She contested the 2024 European Parliament election as one of three Fianna Fáil candidates in the Midlands–North-West constituency, but did not win a seat.
Chambers had faced criticism following the March 2024 referendums on Family and Care when she admitted to having voted No in both referendums, despite having been photographed and filmed canvassing for Yes votes.
The then-Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, rebuked Chambers, stating: "If I ask people to vote yes, then I vote yes. If I ask people to vote no, I vote no."
In last November's general election, she received 5,584 first-preference votes (7.9%) and was eliminated on the seventh count with 6,709 votes.
It was a bitter disappointment to her and her party, particularly as Mayo had gained an additional seat and that she was in a strong position to be appointed a senior minister if re-elected.
But that's all in the past now as Lisa looks forward to building a new future for herself at the age of 38.