Independent Smith unveils Fifth District campaign with Road Town billboard

Lesmore Smith, an independent candidate, has launched a visible campaign for the Fifth Electoral District with a billboard now displayed in Road Town. The move marks a formal push to unseat Virgin Islands Party representative Kye Rymer, who has represented the district since winning in both 2019 and 2023.

Smith's platform, displayed on the billboard, centres on six priorities: senior assistance programmes, youth empowerment, district beautification, economic opportunities, historical site restoration, and community revitalization. His campaign tagline reads "Country Above Self. People Over Power. Results That Matter," with the slogan "Less Talk. More Work" featured prominently.

Smith announced his Fifth District candidacy earlier in 2026. He traces his motivation to his own upbringing: his mother worked as a domestic worker, his father farmed, and his family sometimes relied on help from others. "Our children are hurting, our seniors are suffering, and we need help," he said in a recent interview.

Smith is not new to elections. He ran in 2019 as a Progressive Virgin Islands Movement At-Large candidate, earning 1,063 votes, then contested the 2023 general election as an independent At-Large candidate with 851 votes. In April this year, while campaigning in the Fifth District, he described himself as an independent "for now," leaving room for a possible party affiliation. By September, he had publicly committed to running as an independent for the district seat.