In June 1997, she received a letter from the Christian Community Centre in Ireland suggesting she run for the Irish presidency. Having no interest in politics at the time, and never having heard of that organisation, she threw the "incredible" proposal in the bin. But they persisted and similar mail arrived from other people. Then the media got involved. She eventually agreed to seek nomination as a candidate in the 1997 Irish presidential election, standing as an independent under the name Dana Rosemary Scallon. Her campaign was based on the Irish Constitution and her belief that it could only be amended with the agreement of the Irish people by public ballot. She later became the first-ever presidential candidate to secure a nomination solely from County and City Councils, rather than from members of the Oireachtas. Polling day was 31 October, and Scallon received 175,458 of the first-preference votes (13.8%), coming third to Fianna Fáil's candidate and eventual winner Mary McAleese. Before returning to America she told reporters: "I may not be a president, but I "am" a precedent."