Ireland will elect its third women head of state on Oct. 24 following the surprise withdrawal of Fianna Fáil candidate Jim Gavin.

The race is now a head-to-head contest between independent TD (Teachta Dála, or member of the Dáil Éireann, similar to member of the U.S. House of Representatives) Catherine Connolly, 68, and former Fine Gael TD and government minister Heather Humphreys, 62. Connolly is on the political left, and supported by the Irish Labour (she is a former member) and Sinn Féin parties. Humphreys is a more center-right, establishment figure.

Gavin’s Oct. 5 departure announcement shocked the Irish electorate. In the few weeks since his nomination, the Irish Aviation Authority senior executive and former Dublin GAA football manager was revealed as an uneven and inexperienced campaigner. His credibility cratered over recent questions about owing back rent to a former tenant. That’s hardly a position of strength in a country with an ongoing housing crisis and a history of testy (sometimes violent) landlord-tenant relations.

Gavin was the personal selection of Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, who now will face questions about, and challenges to, his leadership of the Fianna Fáil party and the country.  Martin’s political chops are certainly much stronger than Gavin’s, so he might outlast this controversary, as he has others in the past.

Mary Robinson (1990-1997) and Mary McAleese (1997-2011) held the office of president for 21 years, followed by the two, seven-year terms of the departing Michael D. Higgins. The office is Ireland’s only national election except for occasional constitutional referendum questions.

Áras an Uachtaráin, the Irish President’s House in Dublin. It was formerly known as the Viceregal Lodge, the home of the British Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.