Oct. 4, 2006 — Voters currently undecided about who they'll pick for governor and lieutenant governor in the Nov. 7 election could decide the race, according to polling figures released Wednesday.
According to the poll report, entitled "USVI General Elections Poll," the gubernatorial race was "wide open."
When asked who they'd vote for, 27 percent of respondents said they were undecided, with another 11 percent saying they didn't know or refusing to answer.
"This poll result suggests that the candidates have much more to do to inform, educate and convince undecided votes why they should vote for them," the report stated.
However, there was little indecision when respondents were asked their opinion on the territory's direction. A full 59 percent said they thought the direction was wrong, with 16 percent saying the direction was right. Remaining respondents (24 percent) were either unsure or did not know.
Commissioned by St. Thomas resident Randolph Knight, the poll was conducted by $K Network Inc., with pollster Solomon Kabuka supervising a group of UVI professors, students and graduates who surveyed the 551 respondents.
Governor's Race
The poll currently gives the John deJongh/Gregory Francis team the edge in the race for governor and lieutenant governor.
A total of 36 percent of respondents said they'd pick the deJongh team compared to 15 percent for the team of Kenneth Mapp and Almando "Rocky" Liburd.
In a poll before the September primary election, the deJongh/Francis team garnered 18 percent. "Thus, it could be inferred that some of the supporters for the two gubernatorial teams, which were not successful in the primary elections, are now supporting the deJongh/Francis team," the report notes.
According to the report, the Mapp/Liburd team — whose numbers remain relatively unchanged compared to the pre-primary poll — have not attracted Democrats who voted for the losing candidates in the primary.
The team of Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg and Dr. Cora Christian trailed with 11 percent, a big jump from the 3 percent the team got in the pre-primary poll.
If the respondents who said they didn't know or refused to answer were eliminated, deJongh/Francis got 59 percent, with Mapp/Liburd at 24 percent and Donastorg/Christian at 18 percent.
Island Breakdown
Breaking down the numbers by island, the deJongh/Francis team received 36 percent on St. Thomas, 39 percent on St. Croix and 30 percent on St. John.
Mapp/Liburd garnered 8 percent on St. Thomas, 22 percent on St. Croix and 13 percent on St. John.
Donastorg/Christian received 17 percent on St. Thomas, 5 percent on St. Croix and 9 percent on St. John.
Eliminating the "don't know/refused" responses gives deJongh/Francis 59 percent each on St. Thomas and St. Croix and 58 percent on St. John. Mapp/Liburd got 13 percent on St. Thomas, 33 percent on St. Croix and 25 percent on St. John; while Donastorg/Christian received 28 percent on St. Thomas, 8 percent on St. Croix and 18 percent on St. John.
Senator-At-Large
In the race for the senator-at-large seat, incumbent Craig Barshinger got the nod from 34 percent of the people who responded. Challenger Carmen Wesselhoft came in at 22 percent. However, a significant 36 percent were undecided, and 8 percent were listed in the "don't know/refused" category. A total of 5 percent of the respondents voted for "other." This led the pollsters to conclude the race was "up for grabs."
Senatorial Races, St. Thomas/St. John district
In polling residents about their choices for the senators from the St. Thomas/St. John district, the four incumbents got the top spots. Here's the breakdown on all the candidates:
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone 15 percent
Sen. Louis P. Hill 12 percent
Sen. Celestino White 11 percent
Sen. Liston Davis 9 percent
Basil Ottley 9 percent
Alvin Williams 9 percent
Former Sen. Carlton Dowe 7 percent
Horace Brooks 5 percent
Former Sen. Stephen "Smokey" Frett 5 percent
Ludick "Ludie" T. Thomas 4 percent
Toi Barbel 4 percent
Patrick Sprauve 3 percent
Former Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel 2 percent
Lorelei Monsanto 2 percent
Ada Hodge 2 percent
Leslie Smith II 1 percent.
Senatorial Races, St. Croix district
In the St. Croix district, the incumbents took the top six spots, followed by the challengers.
Sen. Terrence "Positive" Nelson 14 percent
Sen. Ronald Russell 14 percent
Sen. Juan Figueroa-Serville 13 percent
Sen. Neville James 11 percent
Sen. Raymond "Usie" Richards 10 percent
Sen. Norman JnBaptiste 9 percent
Former Sen. Luther Renee 6 percent
Wayne James 4 percent
Michael Thurland 4 percent
Jimi Weber 4 percent
Gonzalo Rivera 2 percent
Luis Garcia 2 percent
Rhea Dowling 2 percent
Naomi "Sandra" Joseph 2 percent
Hope Gibson 1 percent
George Moore 1 percent
Gosnal Matthew 1 percent
Troy Mason 1 percent
Delegate to Congress Race
In the race for delegate to Congress, incumbent Donna M. Christensen has a big edge over challenger Warren Mosler. Christensen received 57 percent, with Mosler coming in at 12 percent. A total of 23 percent of the respondents said they were undecided, with 8 percent saying they don't know or refusing to answer.
About the poll
The poll was conducted Sept. 15-24, which the pollsters said was before the candidates "got their campaign in full gear."
According to information provided with the poll results, a total of 551 people randomly selected from the 2006 telephone directory responded. This breaks down to 237 people on St. Thomas, 238 on St. Croix and 76 on St. John.
Only registered voters who said they would "definitely" or "probably" vote were surveyed. A total of 88 percent said they would definitely vote, with the remainder in the probably category.
The pollsters called about 4,000 people to get the 551 that were eligible to respond.
A total of 61 percent were female, with 37 percent male. A total of 2 percent refused to indicate their sex.
A total of 50 percent gave their age as over 50, with 31 percent in the 35-49 age group, 12 percent in the 25-34 age group, and 4 percent ages 18 to 24.
A total of 45 percent said they worked in the private sector, with 23 percent indicating they worked for the government. A total of 21 percent said they were retired, 9 percent said they were disabled, and 9 percent said they were unemployed. One percent of respondents indicated they were students. Fifteen percent of respondents refused to indicate their employment status.
Financially, 36 percent reported earning $25,000 to $50,000; 30 percent reported earning less than $25,000; and 23 percent reporting over $50,000.
A total of 57 percent identified themselves as Virgin Islanders, with 22 percent saying they were "other West Indian." Eight percent indicated they were "continental," with 6 percent claiming they were Hispanic, and 4 percent "other."
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