ST. CROIX — Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett and running mate Senate President Milton Potter won Tuesday’s general election, positioning Plaskett to become the first woman to serve as governor of the Virgin Islands.
Imani Daniel stunned as the top vote-getter in the St. Thomas/St. John District Senate race, while Hadiya Sewer upset the incumbent senator-at-large, winning every precinct in the St. Thomas/St. John District as well as seven out of the 10 precincts on St. Croix. Former Senator Janelle Sarauw’s win in the race for delegate to Congress was widely expected as her opponent announced on Facebook on September 18, “By now everyone should know that I am not participating in the 2026 election.” He added, “Furthermore, Janelle Sarauw has this covered.”
Plaskett and Potter received 11,865 votes, or 62.8% of the 18,891 votes cast in the gubernatorial race. Plaskett carried all 20 voting precincts across St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John.
Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg and running mate Positive Nelson finished second with 2,507 votes. Oakland Benta and Merwin Potter received 2,273 votes, followed by Warren Mosler and Colin Robertson with 1,293, and Gustav James and Randolph Bennett with 637.
Plaskett, who will become the first Black woman to govern a U.S. territory, was elected on the same night Keisha Lance Bottoms made history in Georgia as the first Black woman elected governor of a state. Plaskett addressed supporters on St. Thomas before traveling to St. Croix. At the Plaskett-Potter campaign headquarters in Sion Farm, supporters gathered in the parking lot for the election-night celebration, where they watched her St. Thomas speech streamed on a large projection screen set up on a stage.
Plaskett said she and Milton Potter will expect a government that answers, follows through, and measures its success by what improvements residents see in their lives. She said the Virgin Islands can be the greatest island in the Caribbean with its history, geography, diverse people and the American flag.
“We must realize our potential,” Plaskett said. “I will bring to this work the love, determination, and fierce responsibility with which a mother fights for her family. I will listen. I will make difficult decisions. I will insist on results, and I will answer to you. I will not be perfect. I will not. But every day I will rise, and I will put you first.”
At her St. Croix campaign headquarters, Plaskett thanked supporters and described the victory as a collective achievement.
“We can and will be the greatest island in the Caribbean in four years,” she said.
Sarauw won the delegate-to-Congress race with 13,029 votes, or 76.9%, compared with 3,586 for independent candidate Shelley A.H. Moorhead.
“We’ve been on this campaign for about a year,” Sarauw said. “We stuck to our messaging.”
Sarauw, who won the Democratic primary on August 1, said she has begun preparing for the transition and building relationships with members of Congress. She described her platform as a federal strategy rather than a plan limited to the two-year congressional term. She said she intends to work closely with the incoming governor to present a unified front in Washington, D.C.
“I intend to work very closely with Stacey because the only way we can progress is if we have a unified front in D.C.,” she said.
In her first Senate run, Imani Daniel led the St. Thomas/St. John District senate field with 4,516 votes. In her speech at TheFuture’s campaign headquarters, she thanked her supporters and the candidates who ran with her under TheFuture’s banner.
“Wow, this is just unbelievable,” she said while cupping her face.
Daniel was followed by three incumbents — Senator Alma Francis Heyliger with 4,460, Senator Avery Lewis with 4,405, and Senator Marvin Blyden with 3,880. The other three candidates elected to the Senate were Daniel’s fellow members of TheFuture — Rudel Hodge Jr. with 3,794 votes and Sennai Habtes with 3,598 — followed by incumbent Senator Carla Joseph with 3,431.
The remaining candidates were Shenelle Fina Francis, 3,245; Senator Dwayne DeGraff, who lost his seat with 3,140 votes; TheFuture member Vernon Araujo, 2,575; Senator Ray Fonseca, who lost his Senate seat with 2,519 votes; Joel Browne Connors, 2,276; Eugene Farrell, 1,959; Paula Duke, 1,502; Derrick Callwood, 1,462; Krishna Kilaru, 1,423; Gregory Smith, 731; David Sierra, 700; Collister Fahie, 655; and Eric Tillett, 586.
Hadiya Sewer, another member of TheFuture, won the senator-at-large race with 9,809 votes, or 61.1%, defeating Democratic incumbent Senator Angel Bolques Jr., who received 6,204 votes.
“I’m excited,” Sewer said. “I’m looking forward to the possibility of working on behalf of the people of Virgin Islands in this capacity as your senator-at-large, and I’m really humbled.”
Sewer, an independent candidate, said her campaign focused on improving quality of life and reducing the cost of living. She identified education, agriculture, energy, and housing as priorities.
“I know that the majority of our territory are registered as Democrats, and so I deeply appreciate everyone’s willingness to look beyond party politics in the territory, and to really assess candidates and to consider what might be in the best interest for us moving forward as a community,” she said.
In the St. Croix District Senate race, Senator Kurt Vialet was the top vote-getter with 6,494 votes. Senator Kenneth Gittens received 4,408, Senator Franklin Johnson received 4,166, Senator Clifford Joseph received 4,026, Lisa Charles received 3,714, Ophelia “Nemmy” Williams-Jackson received 3,706 and Jose “Besse” Gonzalez received 3,693.
The remaining candidates were Nereida “Nellie” Rivera O’Reilly, 3,000; Senator Hubert Frederick, who lost his seat with 2,990; former Senator Samuel Carrión, 2,838; Bianca Francis, 2,637; Alvin Milligan, 2,209; Elizabeth Hansen Watley, 1,945; Mustasem “Moe” Mustafa, 914; former Senator Norman JnBaptiste, 801; Raymond James, 783; Jay Watson, 699; Diane Prosper, 694; Julian Viera, 692; Troy Mason, 611; Gage Edmunds, 564; Troy Williams Sr., 528; Luz “Lucy” Browne, 468; and Tyler Courtland Fay, 260.
Vialet said he was humbled by the support he received from St. Croix voters and pledged to continue listening to residents and addressing their concerns.
“I pledged during the campaign that I will continue to make sure that I serve them, and that I’m able to hear their concerns,” he said. “I think it resonated within the people, and the vote shows that people of St. Croix believe in my ability to serve their needs and my ability to address the concerns of the Virgin Islands.”
Vialet said he intends to continue asking difficult questions at Senate meetings to hold officials accountable and ensure transparency. He identified healthcare and the possible loss of accreditation by the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority among the issues facing the territory. He said he wants to work with the incoming administration to develop plans and strategies for addressing the territory’s outstanding issues.
In the St. Croix Board of Education race, voters elected two new candidates over two current board members. The top two candidates elected to the board were Vincent H.A. Gordon Jr., who received 3,269 votes, and Lucy Jackson, who received 3,085. They ousted current longtime board members Terrence Joseph, who received 3,011 votes, and Winona Hendricks, who received 2,574.
In the St. Thomas/St. John Board of Education race, current board member Judy Gomez led with 4,975 votes, followed by current board member Arah Lockhart with 3,909. Bruce Flamon received 2,155 votes.
For the St. Croix Board of Elections, voters elected two new members and reelected one — Shamari Haynes received 4,332 votes, Mary “Peggy” Moorhead received 3,270, and current board member Kareem Francis received 2,760. Current board member Franz Christian Jr. lost, receiving 2,436 votes, while Juliet Liburd received 2,180.
Raven Phillips, another member of TheFuture, won the sole St. John Board of Elections seat with 3,458 votes, defeating Preston Evans, who received 2,057.
In the St. Thomas Board of Elections race, Barbara Petersen received 3,787 votes and Kevin Rodriquez received 3,594, winning the two available seats. Harriet Mercer lost her seat with 2,881 votes.
A total of 20,047 ballots were cast in the general election. The territorial results summary reported 38 blank ballots.
