INCUMBENT GOVERNOR KENNETH MAPP CAMPAIGNS UNSUCCESSFULLY IN ST. THOMAS ON RUNOFF ELECTION DAY.
CHRISTIANSTED — Voters from around the Virgin Islands turned out in record numbers to “change course now” from current Governor Kenneth Mapp to new Governor-Elect Albert Bryan, Jr.
As of 9:07 p.m. in territorial polling, the Democratic team of Bryan-Tregenza Roach earned 11,796 votes (54 percent) and soundly defeated the independent team of Mapp-Osbert Potter with 9,766 of the votes (45 percent).
Incumbent Mapp won about 64 percent of the vote in St. Croix, but the challenger Bryan garnered about 80 percent of the vote in St. Thomas-St. John — and it proved to be the difference in the election.
Some 33.2 percent of the voting public turned out to vote early, with 16,975 of the 51,092 voters in the territory casting a ballot before today, according to the Election System website.
As of 3 p.m. today, Supervisor of Elections Carolyn Fawkes said that 5,160 people had voted on St. Croix and 4,448 people had cast ballots in St. Thomas-St. John.
Bryan is the former Commissioner of Labor under former Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr (2007-2015). He has worked previously in the public and private sectors.
Mapp is the third Virgin Islands elected governor to not be returned to office. Governor Melvin Evans was the first in 1974. Governor Roy Schneider became the second Virgin Islands governor not to be re-elected.
Schneider (governor) and Mapp (lieutenant governor) were elected by Virgin Islanders as their team for Government House in 1994.
GOV. ROY SCHNEIDER AND GOV. KENNETH MAPP
TREGENZA ROACH (LEFT) CELEBRATES GUBERNATORIAL VICTORY WITH ALBERT BRYAN JR. (FAR RIGHT) AND VARIOUS FAMILY AT HOME ON ST. CROIX TONIGHT
Melvin Evans was the first Governor not to be re-elected in 1974.
John you were really reaching to tie Mapp to this article title.
Admittedly, it was a bit of a stretch. We tried our best.