Press clips for November 9, Gerry Yandel Deputy Director of Communications | Office of Governor Albert Bryan Jr.
Bryan/Roach team easily wins re-election
A majority of Virgin Islanders voted Tuesday to re-elect Democrats Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach to another four-year term.
“It was a tremendous win, I really want to thank my supporters for all the stuff that they have done over the whole campaign time, just tremendous support,” Bryan said at his campaign headquarters in Rothschild Market Square on St. Thomas, as supporters cheered around him and congratulated him on the victory.
“The ingenuity and creativity of the campaign was excellent,” Bryan said. “It was amazing the way that people came together to support the Bryan-Roach team. That same kind of momentum and energy is going to power us through to fix education, and health care, and WAPA in the next four years. Look out for us, we’re going to be phenomenal.”
The incumbents’ biggest challengers, Sens. Kurt Vialet and Janelle Sarauw, Ind., did not garner enough votes to force a runoff election, with 7,926 votes to Bryan and Roach’s 11,544. The Vialet-Sarauw team’s vote total represented 38.35% of the 21,522 ballots cast, and Bryan and Roach’s total was 55.85% of the vote.
Gittens is St. Croix’s top vote-getter in mixed bag of candidates
Voters on St. Croix returned Sen. Kenneth Gittens to the Senate as the top vote-getter in that district.
They also ousted an incumbent senator, elected a newcomer and returned a former senator to the V.I. Legislature.
Gittens’ ballot total was a far cry from 2018 when he lost a re-election bid to the 32nd Legislature. Voters would eventually return him to the 33rd and 34th Legislatures.
Gittens received 5,311 or 10.11% of the vote. He was followed by incumbent Sen. Novelle Francis Jr. with 5,079 or 9.67% of the vote.
Voters on Tuesday also elected newcomer Marise James with 4,284 or 8.16% of the vote, and returned former Sen. Diane Capehart, who last served in the 30th Legislature, to office with 3, 532 of 6.72% of the vote.
They also ousted first-term Sen. Genevieve Whitaker, who received 3,286 or 6.26% of the vote. Whitaker, a former deputy supervisor of Elections, is currently in ninth place for the seven-seat district, with 3,286 or 6.26% of the vote.
Incumbents hold on to Senate seats on St. Thomas
ST. THOMAS — Voters on St. Thomas elected a newcomer to office and gave incumbents a stamp of approval in their re-election bids.
Meantime only 64 votes separate incumbent At-Large Sen. Angel Bolques Jr. and his rival Sherry-Ann Francis after voting centers closed Tuesday night.
According to the unofficial results from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands, Bolques received 8,270 or 50.00% of the vote in comparison to Francis’ 8,206 or 49.62% of the vote. There were 63 write-ins or 0.38% of the vote.
Residents will learn soon whether Francis can close the gap with absentee votes as the first day to count such votes is Thursday.
Voters on St. Thomas on Tuesday kept Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory in a familiar place, returning her to the Senate as the top vote-getter in that district.
Incumbent Sens. Milton E. Potter, Marvin A. Blyden, Dwayne M. DeGraff, Carla Joseph, Alma Francis Heyliger were all re-elected. Newcome Ray Fonseca had run unsuccessfully for a Senate seat in 2020, and in 2018 teamed up with businessman Warren Mosler — as his running mate — for a Government House bid.
Plaskett cruises unopposed into fifth congressional term
V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett cruised into a fifth term unopposed on Election Day with 15,559 votes or 98.76%. There were 195 write-ins or 1.24%.
The win is a bittersweet one for Plaskett, who issued a statement ahead of Election Day announcing that she would not be on the campaign trail, as her father was “gravely ill.”
Plaskett is currently serving her fourth term in Congress.
Maria Ferreras: What’s the tsunami plan for Lucinda Millin home on the waterfront?
Reading recently about the VITEMA public invitation about a tsunami walk reminded me again about the dangers of tsunamis. And I once again got that queasy feeling in my stomach about preparedness for those who are elderly and disabled. We know there are many pockets of people that are going to need a lot of help, very fast.
Lucinda Millin Home for the Aged on the waterfront of St. Thomas is one of those spots that worries me. If a tsunami does hit, is there an evacuation plan ready to go fast?
With dozens of residents vulnerable, some non-mobile, it would seem impossible for the dedicated staff to handle all. So, that means outside help needs to be mobilized as soon as the siren goes off.
Is this community plan ready?
Bryan-Roach Secure Second Term With More than 11K Votes in General Election
Winning 55.85 percent of votes cast Tuesday — or an overall total of 11,544 — incumbent Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach secured a second term in office, while opponents Kurt Vialet and Janelle Sarauw brought in 7,926 votes, or 38.35 percent.
According to the unofficial numbers, General Election day voting showed Vialet-Sarauw pulling in more on St. Croix, with 2,572 votes, while Bryan-Roach turned the tables on St. Thomas-St. John with 2,876 votes, but the gap widened in the early voting numbers by 2,800 votes, with the Bryan-Roach team garnering 6,834 votes to Vialet-Sarauw’s 4,045.
Overall, between early voting and poll activity on Tuesday, about 54 percent of registered voters participated, with a total of 21,522 votes cast out of a potential 39,876 active voters. Gubernatorial teams Stephen “Smokey” Frett, and Gregory “Brother R” Miller Jr. also received 705 votes, while Ronald Pickard and running mate Elroy Turnbull got 238 votes.
Frett-Gregory, Gittens Lead Senate Races, Most Incumbents Keep Seats
On St. Thomas, Sen. Donna Frett-Gregory topped out in first place with 5,912 votes, while Sen. Kenneth “Kenny” Gittens led on St. Croix with 5,311 votes, according to the unofficial General Election results. While most other incumbents retained their Senate seats, on St. John, Senator-at-Large Angel Bolques and opponent Sherry Ann-Francis ended Tuesday night with a 64-vote difference, which could go either way as absentee and provisional ballots are counted on Thursday.
Though there were a few challenges within the St. Thomas-St. John district — including a power outage and moisture issues at the University of the Virgin Islands polling site that had to be monitored but didn’t appear to affect how ballots were fed into and read by the machines — all votes were in by 8:30 p.m. and counted by about 9:15 p.m., with a total of 21,522 votes cast territory-wide between early voting and Election Day activity.
Despite Long Lines, Voter Turnout Lower Than Expected Tuesday
The sun was still rising over Cruz Bay, St. John, when the doors opened at Bryan-Roach campaign headquarters near the Lutheran Church. Up the street, near the traffic circle, supporters of the rival team in the gubernatorial race — Kurt Vialet and Janelle Sarauw — hung banners and set up a tent.
Election Day has come to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Speculation was brewing about what would happen, whether voters would show up at voting centers across the territory. Reporters from the Source set out to see for themselves. Along the way, they met candidates, poll workers, campaign workers and voters who shared their opinions about the day and the work they came to do.
At the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center on the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas campus, voters streamed steadily through the glass doors. By mid-morning, a small queue formed inside the gymnasium, waiting to check in. Poll watchers took their seats and settled in to observe.
Plaskett Reelection Comes At Difficult Time
Running unopposed in her bid for a fifth two-year term in Washington, D.C., Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett’s certain victory Tuesday came as she dealt with the “grave” illness of her father.
Plaskett, the Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress since 2015, said rather than celebrating with her constituents as usual, she was seeking peace at her father’s side.
“Each election I am always excited to go to all the polls, electioneering and thanking the people of the Virgin Islands, young and old, for participating in one of the most sacred aspects of our democracy,” Plaskett wrote in a media release. “Unfortunately, this year I will be unable to participate due to illness in my family. My father, Leroy Plaskett, is gravely ill and it is important that I provide support and attend to the needs of both of my parents.”
Photo Focus: Vendors Plaza Blossoms with Bright New Colors
Construction workers and engineers are making progress with the new Vendors Plaza retail units on St. Thomas. The brightly colored, steel-framed kiosks are being carefully moved into place as anticipation mounts for the brand-new plaza.
Licensing and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Richard Evangelista has said previously that the structures, which replace the tents that were a longtime staple of the plaza, are built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane.
Governor Bryan Wins Reelection, Cementing His Legacy as a Two-Term Leader
Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the ninth elected governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, won Tuesday’s gubernatorial race and cemented his legacy as a two-term leader. His victory over challenger Kurt Vialet gives Mr. Bryan an opportunity to continue what he started.
Based on unofficial results from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands ( found here), Mr. Bryan garnered 55.85% to Mr. Vialet’s 38.35% territory-wide. A candidate needs 50 percent plus 1 vote to be declared the outright winner of a gubernatorial race in the general election, according to the Elections System of the Virgin Islands.
In same-day voting, Mr. Bryan ran up the margins in the St. Thomas-St. John District, where he collected 2876 over Mr. Vialet’s 1309. On St. Croix, the race was tilted in the other direction, with the governor collecting 1834 votes, to Mr. Vialet’s 2572. Early voters favored the incumbent heavily – 6834 votes for Mr. Bryan and 4045 for Mr. Vialet.
The victory caps a hotly contested election and allows Mr. Bryan to move forward with initiatives that have progressed during his tenure, including the rebuilding of the territory’s schools damaged during Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the rebuild of the territory’s hospitals and moving into JFL North, the modular hospital that has taken years to open under Mr. Bryan’s leadership.
Watch: Governor Bryan’s First Interview Following Reelection Victory
Watch: Lt. Gov. Roach’s First Interview Following Reelection Victory
Whitaker Out; Marise James, Ray Fonseca and Diane Capehart Will Be Part of 35th Legislature
Unofficial results from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands are indicating that the 35th Legislature will feature at least one new face.
At the top of the rankings for the St. Croix District is Senator Kenneth Gittens, well in the lead with 5311 votes. Gittens is followed (in order of vote totals) by Senators Novelle Francis with 5079, Franklin Johnson with 4599 votes, and Samuel Carrion, who earned 4459. Marise James will be seated in the new crop of Senators, having received 4284 votes, the 5th highest number overall. Rounding up the list is Senator Javan James in 6th position with 4175 and Diane Capeheart in 7th with 3532. Senator Genevieve Whitaker garnered 3286 votes, ranking behind Nemmy Williams-Jackson who collected 3392 – leaving Ms. Whitaker out in the cold, well under the cutoff point.
On St. Thomas/St. John, the race was tighter, however current Senate President Donna Frett-Gregory was able to clinch the top vote-getter title with 5912 ballots cast in her favor. Following closely behind were Senators Milton Potter with 5638 votes, Marvin Blyden with 5162, and Dwayne DeGraff with 5066 votes. Senator Carla Joseph will return, having received 4854 votes, and so will Senator Alma Francis Heyliger – 4629 ballots were cast for her. Newcomer Ray Fonseca will round out the cohort from this district – he earned 3853 votes this cycle.
If the numbers hold up, Angel Bolques will continue to represent the territory as its at-large Senator in his first full term, having earned 8270 votes to edge out his competitor Sherry Ann Francis, who garnered 8206 votes. https://viconsortium.com/vi-politics/virgin-islands-whitaker-out-marise-james-ray-fonseca-and-diane-capehart-will-be-part-of-35th-legislature