ST. CROIX — Former Senator Janelle Sarauw, who built her political career as an independent voice often critical of the local Democratic Party, has joined the party as she launches a campaign for Delegate to Congress.
On February 26, Sarauw changed her registration to Democrat with the Election System of the Virgin Islands. Sarauw’s original party affiliation was Democrat when she registered in June 2006. She left the party in July 2012 and was registered as an independent until last month.
“I started off my actual young civic engagement as a Democrat,” she said. “I do embody the Democratic ideals — I always have.”
She said she later became disenchanted with the party’s direction and left it in her 20s.
“That doesn’t mean that my ideals changed,” she said.
Sarauw confirmed to WTJX that she will run as a Democrat in the 2026 general election for the territory’s nonvoting delegate seat currently held by Democratic incumbent Stacey Plaskett.
Sarauw, who served three terms in the Virgin Islands Legislature from 2017 to 2023 as an independent, said party affiliation will help her advocate more effectively for the territory in Washington.
“If I am to best serve the territory in the capacity that I need to serve them in, I cannot enter Congress unaligned,” she said.
Sarauw said joining the party again will not change her willingness to dissent.
“It’s OK for us to disagree, because conflict is inevitable, but conflict is also motive for change,” she said. “So, calling out an organization doesn’t mean that I’m anti anything. I actually care and want it to be better.”
An example of her issues with the party came in an August 26, 2024 letter to the editor in The Virgin Islands Daily News titled “Is it time to revamp the V.I. Democratic Party?” Sarauw criticized the low voter turnout in the Democratic primary in the Virgin Islands against the backdrop of an energized Democratic National Convention.
“The lack of voter participation, however, is not the most troubling aspect of this situation. The real issue lies in the inaction of the V.I. Democratic Party leadership. There were no radio or social media campaigns to inform the public about the primary. The party did not organize a single debate or forum to discuss the issues at stake. There were no voter registration drives to encourage new voters to engage in the democratic process. In short, the party did absolutely nothing to generate excitement or even basic awareness about the election.” Sarauw wrote. “This inaction stands in stark contrast to the energy and enthusiasm seen on the national stage. How can the leadership of the V.I. Democratic Party justify ignoring their constituents at home while participating in the spectacle of the national convention?”
Carol Burke, state chair of the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, confirmed that Sarauw has taken the first steps toward participating in the party’s primary process by paying party dues and changing her voter registration before last month’s deadline.
Burke said Sarauw’s change in party registration and payment of annual dues places her in good standing with the party.
“That’s just the first piece of our eligibility requirements,” she said. “Once we roll out our filing packet, which speaks to four or five different standards of compliance, if she meets those standards, then she’ll be certified by the party to move on to the primary ballot.”
In addition to being a registered dues paying Democrat, those requirements include a loyalty pledge to support the party’s full slate of candidates in a coordinated campaign after the primary election, securing endorsements from members of the party’s Territorial Committee, and paying a filing fee.
“Our party is open,” Burke said. “What we didn’t want is for people to continue to use the party, raid the party for their own purpose without really showing any kind of loyalty and the shared principles of the party.”
