After trailing his name in the Fine Gael leadership stakes for a few weeks, Simon Harris this morning formally withdrew from the contest that has yet to officially begin.
It has been a bruising period for the 30-year-old Minister for Health, who has grappled with multiple crises in health since Christmas.
To top that off, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan suggested in a leaked Whatsapp message that Harris wanted "out of health", in the process probably guaranteeing that Harris's tenure in the most troubled department will be extended, no matter who takes over as leader.
The weekend's Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll further underlined that the Fine Gael leadership contest is a two horse race.
When asked who they would like to succeed Enda Kenny, only 3 per cent of respondents opted for Harris, far behind Coveney and Varadkar, on 28 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.
He was also last of the chasing pack of Richard Bruton, Paschal Donohoe, Frances Fitzgerald and himself.
Yet the Wicklow TD was unlikely to be really serious about leadership this time out, despite his recent statements that age should be no barrier to high office.
He is a clever operator, and was almost certainly positioning himself for the future.
He is regarded by many as a future Fine Gael leader and his Independent colleagues in Government also have him marked out as a future Taoiseach.
Sources close to Harris say he had been approached by some people seeking another candidate and, while he did seriously consider a run, he did not want to rule it out firmly too early.
He also wanted to allow some space between Flanagan’s Whatsapp faux pas and his withdrawal.
A kingmaker
Today's announcement on RTÉ's Sean O'Rourke show means that Harris has withdrawn from the race with credibility and frees him up to play a role in the campaign, as something of a kingmaker.
While declining to say who he will eventually back for leader, Harris said he will do so when Kenny stands aside and would campaign for his candidate of choice.
That indicates that he has already made his mind up about who he will back and will declare very early in the contest who he will support.
Harris and Varadkar have a cool relationship, and it is unlikely that the Dublin West TD would ever admit him to his inner circle.
It would be quite the rapprochement if Harris were to actively campaign for Varadkar. But remarkable things can happen in leadership contests: just look at how Michael Noonan resurrected his career in the 2010 heave.
Coveney supporters view Harris as a prize there to be won, an influential voice who would lend an east coast, Dublin-region face to their campaign.
Both men are also understood to have developed a close working relationship during the Government formation talks.
The intentions of Fitzgerald, Harris’s political mentor, are not yet known. She may yet decide to stand but almost everyone sees the contest in terms of Varadkar versus Coveney, with no space for others.
With that in mind, Harris may feel freer to back one of the leading contenders rather that the Tánaiste.
Senior party figures believe that Fitzgerald is actually manoeuvring for a tilt at the Presidency, and that she could eventually throw her support behind either Varadkar or Coveney.
It had been suggested that Harris and Fitzgerald could move as a bloc, but that is by no means certain.
From his statement today, it seems Harris has his mind made up - while Fitzgerald has yet to decide what she is doing.
The smart money will be on Harris declaring early for Coveney and campaigning hard for the Minister for Housing, with a view for a future leadership position in the party in mind.
At a lower level in Fine Gael, other pre-leadership contest jockeying is already underway.
Roscommon senator Frank Feighan - pilloried locally during the last government's term for his stance on his local hospital - announced this morning that he is seeking the Fine Gael nomination at the next general election, as he attempts to regain the Dáil seat he did not even defend last year.
"It's clear that more and more people want me to continue to build on my long track record of delivery as an Oireachtas member since 2002 and as a TD for nine 9 years over that period," a statement from Feighan said.
It is also likely to be as clear to Feighan that his vote in the leadership contest will be worth 0.9 per cent of the total electorate, thanks to the party’s electoral college rules that give the parliamentary party 65 per cent of the voting weight.
While most of the focus will be on who the Cabinet choose to support, TDs and senators will also be looking for something from the candidates.
That could be a guaranteed place on an election ticket, or an assurance that he or she will be allowed run on their own in a tight constituency.
Supporters of Coveney have expressed frustration that he has thus far shown an unwillingness to play that game. They know that people like Feighan are there to be persuaded.
From the Cabinet to the senate, and from Harris to Feighan, members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party are readying themselves to look after their own interests in the coming contest.