 On 18 November 1924, Lemass was elected for the first time as a Sinn Féin TD.In 1926, de Valera, supported by Lemass, sought to convince Sinn Féin to abandon its refusal to accept the existence of the Irish Free State, the legitimacy of the Dáil, and its abstentionist policy of refusing to sit in the Dáil, if elected.However, the effort was unsuccessful and in March 1926, however, de Valera, along with Lemass, resigned from the party.