After weeks of speculation, petition pickups, and growing candidate lists across both districts, the 2026 election cycle officially moved into filing season Tuesday as candidates began submitting nomination papers for public office throughout the territory.
From legislative races and Board of Education contests to the governor’s race, aspirants appeared at Elections System of the Virgin Islands offices on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix to formally place their names into contention ahead of this year’s primary and general elections.
Among the most high-profile filings Tuesday was the Democratic gubernatorial ticket of Delegate Stacey Plaskett and Senate President Milton Potter, who officially filed nomination papers to run for governor and lieutenant governor of the Virgin Islands.
Their filing comes weeks after Plaskett first picked up gubernatorial petition paperwork, a move that intensified speculation surrounding the territory’s 2026 governor’s race. In a statement released Tuesday, the pair said they would campaign under the slogan “People Powered, Ready to Deliver,” framing their candidacy around infrastructure, health care, education, economic development, and government accountability.
“After months of listening to families, business owners, students, and community leaders across all three islands, Milton and I are ready to put our experience to work for the people of the Virgin Islands,” Plaskett said in the release.
Potter described the campaign as an effort to combine federal experience with local legislative leadership at a time when the territory continues facing major financial, infrastructure, and utility challenges.
Tuesday’s filings also provided the clearest picture yet of the rapidly expanding field of candidates expected to compete across both districts.
According to unofficial Elections System candidate listings, early filings in the St. Thomas-St. John district included Lorelei Marsh Monsanto, David Sierra, Michael A. Smith, and Mayard Leader for the Legislature. D’Vonte J. Xavier filed for the Board of Education, while Atanya Springette filed for the Board of Elections.
On St. Croix, early legislative filings included Mutasem B.F. Mustafa and Elizabeth Hansen Watley, daughter of the late former Sen. Alicia “Chucky” Hansen. Board of Education filings included Winona Hendricks, Vincent Gordon Jr., Mojania Denis, and Christopher Jacobs Jr., while Mary Moorhead and Deputy Tourism Commissioner Shamari Haynes filed for the Board of Elections.
The filing process requires candidates to submit nomination petitions and supporting qualification documents through the Elections System in order to appear on the ballot. Candidates first pick up petition packages from Elections offices, gather signatures from registered voters supporting their candidacy, and then formally file those documents before the filing deadline.
Signature requirements vary depending on the office and political affiliation involved. Under Virgin Islands law, candidates for office must also meet qualifications tied to age, citizenship, voter registration, and residency. Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor must be at least 30 years old and residents of the territory for five consecutive years preceding the election, while legislative, Board of Education, and Board of Elections candidates must be at least 21 years old and residents of the Virgin Islands for at least three years before the election. Stay informed here.
According to the Elections System, the final deadline to file nomination papers for the 2026 election cycle is May 19 at 6 p.m.
