The Government Chief whip has hit back at detractors of Leo Varadkar - saying his popularity in the Fine Gael leadership race is simply due to his impressive attention to detail.
There has been criticism from the Simon Coveney camp about the level of support the Social Protection Minister received from the parliamentary party within hours of Enda Kenny stepping aside.
Tonight will see the final husting take place - with the new leader set to be declared on Friday.
Regina Doherty says she believes it will be two to one in favour of Varadkar: "There's an impression here that this was kind of a stitch-up or a job arranged.
"As I it happened nearly by accident, the reason we are voting for Leo in our numbers is because, we are impressed that he is so prepared, We are impressed that he is so detailed about his policy and future plands for the party and that didn’t just arrive for the past week, we have been impressed for many months and for years."