Ex-Sen. Stephen Frett, Jed JohnHope pick up gubernatorial petitions; McClafferty eyes Congress seat

By Tom Eader

Published April 25, 2026 at 6:27 PM AST

Former Senator Stephen “Smokey” Frett, left, and community activist Jed JohnHope

ST. CROIX — The 2026 Virgin Islands gubernatorial field expanded to 11 aspirants Friday as two more picked up nomination papers, while new entrants also got petitions for delegate to Congress, Senate, and board seats.

In the St. Thomas/St. John District, former Senator Stephen “Smokey” Frett picked up papers under the Independent Citizens Movement banner to run for governor. Frett served in the 22nd Legislature from 1997 to 1998 and subsequently ran for Senate in multiple elections. He previously sought the governorship in 2022 alongside running mate Gregory Miller Jr.

On St. Croix, community activist Jed JohnHope picked up papers as an independent to enter the gubernatorial race. He served on the governing board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority from December 2019 to August 2021, and served as vice chair from August 12, 2020.

Also in the St. Thomas/St. John District, Brett “Mac” McClafferty picked up papers on Friday as an independent to run for delegate to Congress. McClafferty, a private equity investor, also picked up a Senate petition on April 14. He is a convicted felon, which jeopardizes his eligibility to serve in the Legislature. Section 6(b) of the Revised Organic Act of 1954 bars convicted felons from serving in the Legislature unless their civil rights have been restored.

On Tuesday, Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes sent a letter to Attorney General Gordon Rhea requesting that the AG’s office verify claims made by McClafferty’s stateside attorney, Bradley Lehman, that McClafferty had felony convictions in Ohio that were reversed after three successful appeals.

Although McClafferty is a convicted felon, he is eligible to run for delegate to Congress. Eligible candidates for the office of delegate to Congress as outlined in Title 48 of the United States Code as well as in the House Qualifications Clause set forth in Article 1, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution must meet three requirements. Those requirements include the candidate being at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and an inhabitant of the state or territory in which they were elected.

Three-term Senator Carla Joseph, first elected to the 34th Legislature in 2020, picked up papers as a Democrat to seek reelection to the Senate in the St. Thomas/St. John District. She previously served on the Virgin Islands Board of Elections, elected in 2014. She also served as vice chair of the Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, representing the territory as a delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Democrat Dvonte Xavier picked up papers for the Board of Education in the district.

On St. Croix, independent Jay Watson picked up a senatorial petition. Watson, a former agent with the Narcotics Strike Force, chaired the Virgin Islands Horse Racing Commission. He joined the commission in 2018 before being removed in 2019 by Governor Albert Bryan Jr., who cited alleged obstruction of agency requests and disruption of the commission’s operations. Democrat Christopher Jacobs Jr. and independent Lucy Jackson both picked up papers for the Board of Education.

Picking up nomination papers/petitions does not obligate an aspirant to formally file. The petitions may be filed between May 12 and 19.