During the 2011 presidential election, McGrath initially agreed to support Senator David Norris for nomination as a candidate. On 2 August, Norris publicly announced at a press conference that he was withdrawing from the presidential race. This followed the decision of McGrath, and the TDs John Halligan and Thomas Pringle to withdraw their support following revelations that Norris had written a letter to an Israeli court asking clemency for his former partner Ezra Nawi, who was then facing criminal charges. Norris withdrew his candidacy on 2 August due to the controversy. Sinn Féin proposed Martin McGuinness for their nomination for a presidential candidate. McGrath agreed, along with four other independent TDs, to sign McGuinness's nomination paper.