O'Higgins political career began during the 1943 Irish general election when he unsuccessfully stood on behalf of Fine Gael in the Dublin City South constituency. O'Higgins did not stand in the snap general election of 1944, instead choosing to campaign on behalf of his father. However, at this time he founded the "Central Branch" of Fine Gael which gathered younger members of the party together. Additionally, O'Higgins also began to write for the policy review magazine The Forum.
