Rumours that Mr Brendan Howlin is gay cost him votes in the 1997 contest for the leadership of the Labour Party, The Irish Times has established.
Mr Howlin's campaign team was last night assessing the impact of his decision to publicly reject the rumours this time round. In an interview in The Star yesterday, Mr Howlin denied he was gay in response to a question put to him by a journalist.
Three of those who voted in the 1997 leadership contest told The Irish Times privately that the rumours influenced their decision on how to vote. One confirmed that they would have voted for Mr Howlin were it not for the rumours.
Mr Howlin lost that contest to Mr Ruairí Quinn by 37 votes to 27 in an election in which the parliamentary party and ruling General Council voted. It is conceivable that the issue could have cost him victory then.
Several of those who voted then privately asked Mr Howlin about the rumours during the campaign. Mr Howlin denied that there was any substance to them.
These people - none of whom wished to be named yesterday - stressed that their concern was not about whether Mr Howlin was gay. They said their anxiety related to the fear that, if elected leader, Mr Howlin could have faced growing speculation and media innuendo about his private life, distracting from his job of selling the party's policy message.
Mr Howlin's decision to publicly comment on the rumours this time round was motivated by concerns among his supporters that leaving the rumours unchallenged could again damage his campaign.
The Labour deputy leader spoke on RTÉ's Liveline programme yesterday about the rumours which have circulated for some years among politicians, journalists and others. He said he had heard rumours and received hate mail suggesting he was gay. At one stage posters appeared in Dublin linking him with "another public person in Dublin - somebody that I don't think I have ever met in my life".
He said he believed someone's sexuality "doesn't matter a whit". He was a libertarian, believed in legal recognition of gay marriages and had supported the decriminalisation of homosexual acts, he told the programme.
He did not repeat the denial that he was gay. Asked about this, his campaign manager, Sen Derek McDowell, said: "He is concerned that going about repeating denials that he is gay could be offensive to those who are. His view is that he wasn't being accused of doing something wrong and he will not be repeating denials as if he had been. That could appear homophobic, and he isn't."
Senior party figures were divided on whether Mr Howlin's decision will help or damage his campaign. His supporters said he was right to confront the matter. Others said that while most party members will see his action as courageous, it could be a vote loser.
Mr Howlin told The Irish Times he would say no more about the matter. "Now I will take my argument about the future of the Labour Party to the members. People will judge me as they judge me."