Dooley was first elected to the
Dáil at the
2007 general election for the Clare constituency, topping the poll with 10,791 votes. He served as
spokesperson for Transport, Tourism and Sport from 2011 to 2016, and as a spokesperson for
Communications, Climate Action and Environment from May 2016 to February 2020. In January 2018, Dooley voiced his support for repealing the
Eighth Amendment. In October 2019, Dooley was involved in a voting controversy in the Dáil when he was absent from the chamber during voting but a vote was recorded in his seat six times. An Oireachtas report into the incident revealed that fellow Fianna Fáil TD
Niall Collins voted on behalf of Dooley on each occasion, as well as casting votes at other seats. Video footage showed Dooley talking to Collins prior to leaving the chamber, during which Dooley pointed to his seat and Collins nodded. He lost his seat at the general election in
2020 general election. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the
2020 Seanad election, but was subsequently
nominated by the Taoiseach,
Micheál Martin to the
26th Seanad in June 2020. Dooley was co-president of the
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party from 2021 until 2024. He had one of the lowest voting records in the Seanad in 2024. He was elected to the Dáil for Clare at the
2024 general election. On 25 February 2025, he was appointed as
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine with special responsibility for fisheries and as
Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the marine. ==References==