VIRGIN ISLANDS ELECTION GUIDE

Politics 2026 General Election Guide

Compare the remaining general-election candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Delegate to Congress and St. Croix’s seven Senate seats. Every profile includes a concise biography, relevant experience, stated priorities and direct contact links.

31Candidate profiles
3Offices covered
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Updated August 9, 2026: Candidates eliminated in the August 1 Democratic primary have been removed. The Elections System’s August 4 update still labels the results unofficial; the remaining St. Croix absentee ballots are too few to change the seven Democratic Senate qualifiers shown here.

Elections System →
GOV

Governor & Lieutenant Governor · 2026

General-election gubernatorial tickets

Five tickets remain: the Democratic primary winner and four independent tickets.

5tickets
Stacey E. Plaskett, candidate for governor
GovernorStacey E. Plaskett
Milton E. Potter, candidate for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant GovernorMilton E. Potter
Democrat Democratic primary winner Governor / Lt. Governor ticket

Stacey E. Plaskett / Milton E. Potter

Biography

A six-term Delegate to Congress and a Senate president pair federal advocacy with local legislative leadership.

Background & experience

Plaskett is an attorney and former prosecutor who has represented the Virgin Islands in Congress since 2015. Potter has extensive human-resources and public-administration experience and currently serves in the Legislature, including as Senate president.

Priorities

  • WAPA and energy
  • Healthcare
  • Education
  • Disaster recovery
  • Housing and agriculture
Campaign website340-998-1166Profile source
Gustav James, candidate for governor
GovernorGustav James
Independent General-election ticket Governor / Lt. Governor ticket

Gustav James / Randolph Bennett

Biography

A former Public Works commissioner leads an independent ticket focused on infrastructure and government delivery.

Background & experience

James served as commissioner of the Department of Public Works during the Mapp administration and brings direct experience with roads, drainage and public infrastructure. Bennett’s detailed current public biography was not readily available.

Priorities

  • Roads and drainage
  • Infrastructure delivery
  • Government management
  • Economic development
No verified campaign website340-514-3362Candidate filing profile
Oakland Benta, candidate for governor
GovernorOakland Benta
Independent General-election ticket Governor / Lt. Governor ticket

Oakland Benta / Merwin Potter

Biography

A former St. Croix police chief and former senator heads an independent public-safety and accountability ticket.

Background & experience

Benta served in the 33rd Legislature, previously led the St. Croix District of the Police Department and has run for territorial office several times. Potter’s detailed current public résumé has not been widely published.

Priorities

  • Public safety
  • Government accountability
  • Service delivery
  • Economic recovery
No verified campaign website340-423-9220Candidate profile
Warren Mosler, candidate for governor
GovernorWarren Mosler
Independent General-election ticket Governor / Lt. Governor ticket

Warren Mosler / Colin Robertson

Biography

An economist and financial-market professional returns to territorial politics on an independent ticket.

Background & experience

Mosler is a longtime St. Croix resident, financial professional and prominent developer of Modern Monetary Theory who has previously run for Delegate and governor. Robertson’s detailed current public biography remains limited.

Priorities

  • Employment
  • Fiscal and tax reform
  • Banking and credit
  • Energy
  • Economic growth
No verified campaign website340-514-2525Candidate filing profile
Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg, candidate for governor
GovernorAdlah “Foncie” Donastorg
Independent General-election ticket Governor / Lt. Governor ticket

Adlah “Foncie” Donastorg / Positive T.A. Nelson

Biography

Two veteran former senators combine long legislative résumés with education, agriculture and executive-government experience.

Background & experience

Donastorg served seven Senate terms, including as Senate president, and previously ran for governor. Nelson is a retired educator, seven-term former senator and former Agriculture commissioner who has also worked on cannabis policy.

Priorities

  • Government order
  • Accountability
  • Education
  • Infrastructure
  • Economic growth
Campaign website340-690-0232Profile source
DC

Delegate to Congress · 2026

Delegate to Congress candidates

Two candidates remain for the general election: the Democratic primary winner and one independent.

2candidates
Janelle K. Sarauw, candidate for Delegate to Congress
Candidate overview
Delegate to Congress
DemocratDemocratic primary winnerFormer senator
Campaign website ↗

Janelle K. Sarauw

Biography

Former three-term senator, educator and researcher who ran for lieutenant governor in 2022.

Background & experience

Sarauw taught history and political science and worked in government research before joining the Legislature. Her Senate record included WAPA governance, disaster-recovery oversight, infrastructure, nominations and education.

Priorities

  • Medicaid and healthcare
  • Prescription costs
  • GERS funding
  • Veterans
  • Territorial representation
Campaign websiteProfile source
Shelley A. H. Moorhead, candidate for Delegate to Congress
Candidate overview
Delegate to Congress
IndependentGeneral-election candidateInternational-affairs advocate
Campaign website ↗

Shelley A. H. Moorhead

Biography

Reparations advocate and international-affairs leader with decades of work on Virgin Islands self-determination.

Background & experience

Moorhead founded and leads the African-Caribbean Reparations and Resettlement Alliance and has represented Virgin Islands interests internationally. His public biography cites service in external affairs, the Inter-Virgin Islands Council and the Centennial Commission.

Priorities

  • Federal equality
  • Government accountability
  • Self-determination
  • Reparative justice
  • Territorial rights
Public profile340-277-8146Profile source
DEM

St. Croix Senate · 2026

Democratic St. Croix Senate candidates

Seven Democrats advanced from the August 1 primary to the general election.

7candidates
Portrait of Kurt A. Vialet
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #1Incumbent
Campaign website ↗

Kurt A. Vialet

Biography

Veteran senator, former Finance chair and longtime teacher and school principal.

Background & experience

Vialet earned degrees in mathematics and administration and supervision. Before politics, he spent roughly three decades in public education, including service as a teacher, assistant principal and principal. His legislative career includes repeated leadership and budget roles.

Priorities

  • Education
  • Budget oversight
  • St. Croix investment
  • Affordability
Official Senate page340-244-7875Profile source
Portrait of Kenneth “Kenny” Gittens
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #2Incumbent
Campaign website ↗

Kenneth “Kenny” Gittens

Biography

Six-term senator with extensive police, investigative and emergency-management experience.

Background & experience

Gittens served more than two decades in law enforcement and emergency management, including VIPD, FEMA-related investigative work and VITEMA involvement. His Senate service includes the presidency, majority leadership, committee chairmanships and the current vice presidency.

Priorities

  • Public safety
  • WAPA accountability
  • Healthcare
  • Government ethics
Official Senate page340-772-9676Profile source
Portrait of Clifford A. Joseph Sr.
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #3Incumbent
Campaign website ↗

Clifford A. Joseph Sr.

Biography

Retired Fire Service director, telecommunications contractor, union leader and first-term senator.

Background & experience

Joseph spent about 27 years in the Virgin Islands Fire Service, rising from firefighter to fire marshal and director. He also worked in telecommunications, organized labor and operated a telephone installation and repair company.

Priorities

  • Public safety
  • Emergency readiness
  • Housing
  • Tax fairness
Official Senate page340-690-6400Profile source
Portrait of Ophelia “Nemmy” Williams-Jackson
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #4New candidate
Campaign website ↗

Ophelia “Nemmy” Williams-Jackson

Biography

Longtime educator and senior government administrator with territorial athletics leadership.

Background & experience

Williams-Jackson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees and has served as a teacher, education administrator, alternative-education director, territorial sports and athletics director and deputy commissioner in Housing, Parks and Recreation.

Priorities

  • Education
  • Youth athletics
  • Preventive health
  • South Shore development
Campaign website340-514-3707Profile source
Portrait of Lisa J. Charles
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #5New candidate

Lisa J. Charles

Biography

Healthcare-management professional with more than two decades of public service focused on seniors.

Background & experience

Charles has reported an MBA in healthcare management, a Certified Public Manager credential and more than 23 years of public service. She has worked within Senior Citizen Affairs at the Department of Human Services and previously ran for Senate in 2024.

Priorities

  • Senior services
  • Disability services
  • Healthcare access
  • Youth employment
No verified campaign website340-277-3561Profile source
Portrait of Hubert L. Frederick
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #6Incumbent
Campaign website ↗

Hubert L. Frederick

Biography

Auditor, banker, economic-development specialist, small-business owner and first-term senator.

Background & experience

St. Croix native with a bachelor’s in accounting and finance and a master’s in planning and economic development. His career includes private and government auditing, commercial banking, Department of Health administration, business ownership and service in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Priorities

  • Economic development
  • Agriculture
  • Healthcare
  • Fiscal oversight
Campaign website340-332-0400Profile source
José “Besse” Gonzalez coaching young basketball players
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
DemocratPrimary finish #7New candidate
Campaign website ↗

José “Besse” Gonzalez

Biography

Retired correctional officer and longtime founder of a youth mentoring and sports nonprofit.

Background & experience

Gonzalez spent approximately 24 to 25 years in corrections, including work at the Adult Correctional Facility and Youth Rehabilitation Center. He founded the Positive Guidance Youth Club in 2006 and has decades of hands-on youth mentoring experience.

Priorities

  • Youth prevention
  • YRC reform
  • Mental health
  • Trades & apprenticeships
Campaign website340-626-7559Profile source
IND

St. Croix Senate · 2026

Independent St. Croix Senate candidates

Sixteen certified independent candidates are in the St. Croix general-election field.

16candidates
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 1New candidate

Mutasem B.F. Mustafa

Biography

Certified independent candidate with little publicly documented biography or platform information.

Background & experience

As of this page’s review date, no detailed public résumé, campaign website, interview or policy platform could be reliably located. The contact information below comes from the official candidate filing list.

Priorities

  • Platform not published
No verified campaign website340-642-9281Profile source
Portrait of Elizabeth Hansen Watley
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 2New candidate

Elizabeth Hansen Watley

Biography

Assistant Tourism commissioner, former acting festivals director and Taxicab Commission chair.

Background & experience

Watley has served as assistant commissioner of Tourism since 2019 and helped establish the Division of Festivals. Her public roles also include leadership of the Taxicab Commission, giving her experience in tourism promotion, event administration and transportation regulation.

Priorities

  • Tourism
  • Cultural economy
  • Taxi modernization
  • Transportation
No verified campaign website340-201-0639Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 3New candidate

Alvin Milligan

Biography

Retired government administrator with experience in senior services, tourism and cultural programs.

Background & experience

Milligan completed roughly 32 years of government service. His roles included St. Croix cruise-activities director at Tourism and administrator of Senior Citizen Affairs at Human Services. He is also active in music, church and cultural preservation.

Priorities

  • Healthcare
  • Senior care
  • Tourism
  • Culture
No verified campaign website340-643-1404Profile source
Portrait of Franklin “Frankie” Johnson
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 4Incumbent
Campaign website ↗

Franklin “Frankie” Johnson

Biography

Three-term senator with decades of corrections, court security and executive-policy experience.

Background & experience

Johnson spent 21 years with the Bureau of Corrections, 12 years as a federal District Court security officer and four years as a senior policy adviser for community affairs in the Mapp administration. He also operated a landscaping business.

Priorities

  • Corrections reform
  • Public safety
  • Worker pay
  • Government oversight
Official Senate page340-712-2210Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 5New candidate

Diane Prosper

Biography

Former corrections administrator and licensed mental-health therapist with advanced psychology training.

Background & experience

Prosper served at assistant-warden and acting-warden levels in the Bureau of Corrections. She holds a master’s degree in psychology with a counseling concentration, an associate degree in police science and administration, and operates a small business.

Priorities

  • Crime prevention
  • Mental health
  • Rehabilitation
  • Housing & solar
No verified campaign website352-936-2240Profile source
Portrait of Tyler Courtland Fay
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 6New candidate
Campaign website ↗

Tyler Courtland Fay

Biography

Construction entrepreneur developing hurricane-resistant modular housing on St. Croix.

Background & experience

Fay holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and has worked in landscaping, construction and residential renovation. After moving to St. Croix in 2022, he founded Caribbean Cargotecture and completed a modular model home.

Priorities

  • Affordable housing
  • Sustainable building
  • WAPA
  • Transparency
Campaign website340-208-0452Profile source
Luz “Lucy” Browne, independent candidate for the St. Croix Senate
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 7New candidate
Campaign website ↗

Luz “Lucy” Browne

Biography

Government marketing and communications professional campaigning on a broad quality-of-life platform.

Background & experience

Browne has worked in marketing and communications within the V.I. Lottery, including service as a senior marketing specialist. Her bilingual campaign presents a 12-pillar program across health, utilities, education, business and accountability.

Priorities

  • Healthcare
  • Seniors
  • WAPA & telecom
  • Government transparency
Campaign website470-371-0755Profile source
Portrait of Bianca Francis
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 8New candidate

Bianca Francis

Biography

Entrepreneur and nonprofit leader with long-running youth, family and senior community work.

Background & experience

Francis describes more than 11 years managing a small business, leadership of a nonprofit and an educational background in psychology. She has emphasized organization, community service and a willingness to study the legislative process.

Priorities

  • Workforce pathways
  • Caregiver support
  • Mental health
  • Government efficiency
No verified campaign website340-201-3293Profile source
Portrait of Samuel “Sam” Carrión
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 9Former senator
Campaign website ↗

Samuel “Sam” Carrión

Biography

Former two-term senator with executive, judicial, nonprofit, business and legislative experience.

Background & experience

Carrión holds degrees in business and theology and has worked across the executive and judicial branches, nonprofits and the private sector. His legislative record includes parks and protected areas, bilingual education, short-term-rental taxation, a seed bank and a Local Food and Farm Council.

Priorities

  • Disaster recovery
  • Small business
  • Violence prevention
  • Renewable energy
Campaign website340-277-1362Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 10Returning candidate

Julian S. Veira

Biography

Family-business worker and community mentor focused on self-sufficiency and civic identity.

Background & experience

Veira has described a career in a family-owned business and community work involving youth connected with the Public Defender’s Office, nonprofits and school PTAs. He previously ran for Senate in 2022 and 2024.

Priorities

  • Self-government
  • Food security
  • VI-centered education
  • Community responsibility
No verified campaign website340-773-2210Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 11Returning candidate

Troy D. Mason

Biography

Experienced refinery and terminal-operations professional with repeated Senate campaigns.

Background & experience

Mason worked for many years in HOVENSA and later held an operations-complex supervisory role at Limetree Bay. His technical and industrial background is unusual in the field, though a detailed current platform was not publicly located.

Priorities

  • Energy
  • Industrial development
  • Technical workforce
  • Employment
No verified campaign website340-513-4223Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 12New candidate

Jay Watson

Biography

Former narcotics agent and former Horse Racing Commission chair with regulatory experience.

Background & experience

Watson served in law enforcement and later chaired the Horse Racing Commission. He remains active in regional thoroughbred and equine matters and has publicly advocated stronger safety, anti-doping and conflict-of-interest controls.

Priorities

  • Law enforcement
  • Government ethics
  • Racing regulation
  • Public accountability
No verified campaign website340-277-6305Profile source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 13Former senator

Norman “Bapo” Jn Baptiste

Biography

Former five-term senator, educator and radio host with deep legislative-procedure experience.

Background & experience

Jn Baptiste served five consecutive Senate terms and held leadership and education-related committee roles. Before and after elected office, he has been active in education, broadcasting and civic debate.

Priorities

  • Self-government
  • Education
  • Anti-corruption
  • WAPA audit
No verified campaign website340-208-0055Profile source
Troy C. Williams Sr., independent candidate for the St. Croix Senate
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 14Returning candidate
Campaign website ↗

Troy C. Williams Sr.

Biography

Project-management and information-technology professional, business owner and civic organizer.

Background & experience

Williams has described experience in project management, information technology and entrepreneurship. He previously chaired the Young Democrats of St. Croix, ran in 2022 and created a public pothole-mapping project to document road hazards.

Priorities

  • Infrastructure
  • Ride sharing
  • Healthcare pay
  • Digital accountability
Campaign Instagram518-547-2476Profile source Photo source
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 15New candidate
Campaign website ↗

Gage Edmunds

Biography

First-time candidate with industrial-contracting experience and a youth-centered campaign message.

Background & experience

Public records connect Edmunds with industrial contract work at the former HOVENSA site. His campaign emphasizes real-world experience and youth opportunity, but limited detailed employment and policy information was publicly available at review time.

Priorities

  • Youth opportunity
  • Community development
  • Jobs
  • Accountability
Campaign website340-643-0903Profile source
Portrait of Nereida “Nellie” Rivera O’Reilly
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
IndependentIndependent candidate 16Former senator
Campaign website ↗

Nereida “Nellie” Rivera O’Reilly

Biography

Former five-term senator with experience in finance, paralegal work, education policy and oversight.

Background & experience

Rivera O’Reilly holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and finance, has more than 15 years of paralegal experience and previously served on the Board of Education. Her Senate record includes legislation on plastic bags, charter schools, healthcare and infrastructure coordination.

Priorities

  • Government oversight
  • Education
  • Healthcare access
  • Economic opportunity
Campaign website407-474-4393Profile source
GOP

St. Croix Senate · 2026

Republican St. Croix Senate candidate

One Republican candidate is in the St. Croix general-election field.

1candidate
Candidate overview
St. Croix Senate
RepublicanRepublican nomineeNew candidate

Raymond T. James, Esq.

Biography

Attorney, former assistant attorney general and former GERS board leader.

Background & experience

James represented the Virgin Islands government as an assistant attorney general and served on the Government Employees’ Retirement System Board, including leadership roles. He has participated in pension reform and constitutional-government debates.

Priorities

  • Agricultural homesteads
  • Local food purchasing
  • Refinery restart
  • Self-government
No verified campaign website340-643-7822Profile source

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

One page. Three offices. Every active candidate.

Profiles were condensed from campaign websites, official biographies, government records, candidate interviews and Elections System filings. STX Online does not endorse candidates on this page.

Official Legislature and campaign photos were used where they could be attributed with confidence. Where no reliable individual portrait could be located, the guide keeps a clearly marked placeholder rather than guessing.

Official filing list Primary ballot order Return to STX Online