Fianna Fail colleagues of Ms Beverley Cooper-Flynn said in Castlebar last night that supporters would remain loyal to the Mayo TD. They said her ratings would probably increase because she was now a household name.
The chairman of the local Dail Ceantair, Mr George O'Malley, said Ms Cooper-Flynn would be perfectly entitled to appeal the ruling. While the jury did not find Ms Cooper-Flynn had been libelled or that she deserved damages, it did rule there was no proof she had sold a tax-evasion policy to RTE's chief witness. "Who won and who lost? It was kind of 50/50 and that being the case there is no clear-cut winner . . . I couldn't say she lost the case outright."
Mr O'Malley added he was sure her political support in Castlebar would remain constant and that she would receive a rousing reception in her local pub.
"She has a kind of following within the county. There are enough supporters to elect her again. "Down here, people go by instinct; they don't really go by logic.
"The one thing about Castlebar people is they don't like to let down their own. It's just a thing you don't do. It's part of Castlebar etiquette."
In Dublin, the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said the findings of the jury had the most serious of consequences for Ms Cooper-Flynn.
"If the standards in public office legislation, promised by the Taoiseach four years ago, had been enacted, Deputy Cooper-Flynn would now face the prospect of investigation and sanction under the code of conduct provided for in the Bill.
"Against that background, there is now clearly an obligation on her to consider her position as a member of the Dail, particularly given her position as a member of the Public Accounts Committee."
Ms Cooper-Flynn was selected before Christmas as a candidate in the next general election. The party general secretary, Mr Martin Mackin, said last night he had no comment to make on the judgment and that the matter was still before the courts.