David Norris remains favorite to win the Presidential election in Ireland as he awaits a formal nomination.

The controversial gay senator has yet to secure enough backing to confirm his participation in the autumn election.

But the latest Sunday Independent/Quantum Research telephone poll has seen Norris maintain his position as the most popular candidate to succeed Mary McAleese.

Norris is again supported by 42 percent of voters in the latest poll, a support that amounts to double that of his nearest rival Gay Mitchell of Fine Gael.

Mitchell is now on 21 percent support, up nine points from the previous poll a week earlier.

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Labor Party candidate Michael D Higgins is well off the pace in third place, on 16 percent, while independents Mary Davis and Sean Gallagher neck and neck on 11 and 10 percent respectively.

Republican activist and well-known artist Robert Ballagh has been linked with the election on a Sinn Fein ticket but has yet to confirm he is running and didn’t feature in this latest poll.

Norris has consistently topped the Sunday Independent polls and his latest showing is up five percentage points on the first survey at the start of July.

The Senator claims to have 15 members of the Irish parliament prepared to nominate him but he is still five short of the required 20 nominations.
He has also failed so far to get the support of enough County Councils in his bid to run in the election.