POLITICAL NEWCOMER TOPS ST. THOMAS VOTE: TheFuture movement claims three senate seats

Imani Daniel, an independent candidate with no prior legislative experience, led the St. Thomas-St. John senatorial race on Tuesday, collecting 4,516 votes and finishing ahead of incumbent Senator Alma Francis Heyliger by 56 votes, according to unofficial results from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands.

Daniel's victory represents a breakthrough for TheFuture, a political coalition that united candidates across party lines behind a platform focused on government accountability, affordable housing, electricity reform and economic opportunity. Two other TheFuture-backed candidates secured spots among the seven winners: Democrat Rudel A. Hodge Jr. in fifth place with 3,794 votes, and independent Dr. Sennai Habtes in sixth with 3,598 votes.

Four incumbents won reelection: Senators Marvin Blyden (fourth place) and Carla Joseph (seventh place), alongside Daniel's narrow victor over Heyliger. Senator Avery Lewis, who led early voting, finished third overall with 4,405 votes. Two incumbents lost their seats: Dwayne DeGraff placed ninth with 3,140 votes and Ray "PuPa" Fonseca finished eleventh with 2,519.

Daniel's path to first place shifted dramatically on Election Day. During early voting, Lewis held the lead with 2,851 votes, Heyliger had 2,747, and Daniel placed third with 2,732. When Election Day ballots were counted, Daniel collected 1,784 votes, the highest single-day total among all 20 candidates in the race. That surge allowed her to overtake both Lewis and Heyliger, who received 1,554 and 1,713 Election Day votes respectively.

Before entering the race, Daniel worked in nonprofit leadership, disaster recovery and community development. She served as a delegate to the Sixth Constitutional Convention of the Virgin Islands. Her campaign priorities included modernizing government systems, strengthening community infrastructure, improving disaster preparedness and pursuing constitutional reform.

Hodge, an attorney and constitutional convention delegate, holds a law degree from Florida International University College of Law and is licensed to practice in New York and the Virgin Islands. Habtes brings expertise in marine science and environmental management, having served as chief of fisheries in the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and taught at the University of the Virgin Islands.

TheFuture's success extended beyond the St. Thomas-St. John district. Territory-wide, the movement's senator-at-large candidate Hadiya Sewer defeated incumbent Angel Bolques Jr., receiving 9,809 votes to Bolques's 6,204. In the St. John Board of Elections race, TheFuture candidate Raven Phillips won with 3,458 votes, defeating Democrat Preston Evans who received 2,057.

The seven projected winners comprise four Democrats and three independents. Results remain unofficial pending the Elections System's canvass and certification process.