Nigel Dodds became the DUP's deputy leader and Commons leader in 2008, but the 2010 general election saw Sinn Féin increase their vote share and reduce the DUP majority. Sinn Féin targeted the seat in the 2015 general election, campaigning on returning the constituency's first Irish nationalist MP and the growing Catholic population surpassing Protestants. However, the DUP and the UUP agreed an electoral pact in which the UUP would withdraw their candidate to help re-elect an unionist. This allowed for Dodds to hold the seat comfortably with an increased majority, although a 4.3% swing to Sinn Féin in the 2017 general election still confirmed the seat's marginal status.