The wave of voter dissatisfaction predicted to wash incumbent St. Croix senators out of office only partly materialized Tuesday, as old stalwarts remained firmly entrenched.
Out of the seven St. Croix senators, four will return to their seats: Sens. Adelbert Bryan with 12 years in office; Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, 14 years in office; David Jones, six years in office, and Norman Jn. Baptiste, two years in office.
Senate President Vargrave Richards, with six years in office, is tied for seventh with Senate hopeful Raymond "Usie" Richards. The deadlock – at 3,936 votes – will be decided by approximately 500 absentee ballots within 10 days, election officials said.
The most votes went to perennial Senate aspirant Doug Canton Jr., who garnered 5,851 votes. Another first timer, Emmett Hansen II, placed a strong third with 5,501 votes.
Baptiste was second in votes with 5,758. Jones took fourth with 4,885 votes followed by Hansen, 4,768; Bryan, 4,323, and Vargrave Richards and Raymond Richards.
Losing their seats were St. Croix’s two first-term Republicans, Sens. Gregory Bennerson and Anne Golden. Democrats Canton, Emmett Hansen, Jones and Baptiste will have four seats and possibly five if Vargrave Richards can top Raymond Richards.
While the Democrats’ hold on the St. Croix district was significant, Emmett Hansen said it will be more important to work with other senators to move the island forward.
"The first thing all of us will have to do is sort out how we are going to improve the quality of life on St. Croix," he said. "This is a very clear-cut mandate from the people of St. Croix who are looking for progress."
Late Tuesday, Vargrave Richards said he was "hanging in there" despite his tie with Raymond Richards of the Independent Citizens Movement. Political pundits and Sen. Richards noted that sitting Senate presidents haven’t fared well historically in elections.
Vargrave Richards, a former teacher, also caught the wrath of striking members of the American Federation of Teachers. The AFT membership was upset that Richards didn’t call a special session to find money to fund their contracts prior to the election.
"My assessment . . . suggests there was a level of dissatisfaction with the voters," Sen. Richards said. "The strike right down to the election didn’t help."
Raymond Richards, who is chairman of the Joint Board of Elections and a member of Sen. Bryan’s staff, said he has concerns about absentee ballots that were mailed to V.I. voters on the mainland but have never been received. Some of those voters, he said, are supporters of his campaign.
Nonetheless, "I look forward to the next 10 days," he said.
Chucky Hansen was backed by a crowd of supporters equally as vocal as the loquacious senator Tuesday night after the election. She said an effort to push her out of the Senate was rebuked by her legions of supporters. She vowed to "not ease up."
"Keep your head up. You’ve got Chucky Hansen back in the Senate against all obstacles," she said. "Whether you support me or not, when a crisis comes Sen. Chucky Hansen will be there."
For a complete list of election results, click on www.vivote.com.
