He was re-elected to the County Council at the 2004 local elections, and in January 2007 he joined Fianna Fáil, and was imposed as a  Fianna Fáil candidate for the 2007 general election, without a selection conference.
Re-elected to the County Council in 2004, he later joined Fianna Fáil in January 2007 and was automatically selected as their candidate for the 2007 general election, bypassing a traditional nomination process.