Frett-Gregory and Moorehead in US Virgin Islands governor’s race with call to end “the cabal”

Former Senate President Donna Frett-Gregory (D) and St. Croix educator Rodney Moorehead announced their joint candidacy for governor and lieutenant governor of the United States Virgin Islands at a campaign launch on the St. Thomas waterfront in June 2026.

Frett-Gregory, who picked up nomination papers in April 2026, brings more than 30 years of public service to the race. Born and raised in St. Thomas, she served three terms in the Virgin Islands Legislature—including as President of the 34th Legislature, making her the third woman in the legislature’s history to hold that office. Before entering the Senate, she served as Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Education, Chief Financial Officer of the Virgin Islands Port Authority, and Director of Operations at the Virgin Islands Department of Justice. She holds an MBA from Western Governors University, an MPA from the University of the Virgin Islands, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Morgan State University, as well as a certificate in senior executive leadership from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Moorehead is a St. Croix native who has spent his career in the territory’s education system, serving as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal across the St. Croix district, most recently as principal of St. Croix Educational Complex High School. Under his leadership, Pearl B. Larsen Elementary earned the National Blue Ribbon Award, and St. Croix Educational Complex achieved territory-leading test scores. He currently serves as union president of the St. Croix Educational Administrators’ Association and holds a graduate degree in administration and supervision from the University of the Virgin Islands.

The campaign’s central message is one of accountability and results. Frett-Gregory has been sharply critical of what she described as a government “out of touch” with everyday Virgin Islanders, invoking a term familiar to residents of the territory.

“It’s time for the cabal to end in the US Virgin Islands,” Frett-Gregory said at the campaign launch, using a phrase Virgin Islanders apply to old-guard politicians who exercise power behind closed doors.

“Enough is enough. Virgin Islanders are tired,” she added.

Moorehead echoed the tone, saying that “leadership requires more than promises” and that together they will focus on “turning vision into results.”

Their campaign platform centers on eight policy pillars: healthcare, energy and infrastructure, cost of living and economic diversification, fiscal accountability and government modernization, education and workforce development, housing, seniors and retirement, and public safety. Frett-Gregory has said WAPA, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, which has faced prolonged service interruptions particularly in the St. Thomas-St. John district, will be her first priority, calling the energy crisis “an emergency for our people.” Within the first 100 days, she said her administration would require WAPA to issue a request for proposals, launch an emergency plan for temporary power solutions, and create a public-facing dashboard tracking outages.

On healthcare, Frett-Gregory pledged to work with federal partners to address Medicaid inequities, pointing to reimbursement rates based on data from as far back as 1982, fast-track hospital reconstruction, invest in mental health services, and partner with a nationally recognized healthcare system to bring specialists to the territory.

Frett-Gregory’s legislative record includes sponsoring and enacting more than 30 pieces of legislation across three terms, among them the $3.8 billion Government Employees’ Retirement System pension stabilization measure, restoration of government employee salaries, and the merger of Fire Services and EMS. Beyond elected office, she founded the DFG Community Impact Foundation, a nonprofit serving seniors, youth, and families across the territory.

The Frett-Gregory-Moorehead ticket enters a competitive Democratic primary field that also includes Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D) and Senate President Milton Potter (D), as well as former Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach and Senator Novelle Francis Jr.

The 2026 governor’s race will center on challenges that have long defined life in the US Virgin Islands: the cost of electricity, healthcare access and affordability, jobs, housing, and trust in government. Frett-Gregory and Moorehead are presenting themselves as a team with the record—not just the rhetoric—to deliver.

“We bring experience, fresh thinking, and a commitment to one thing: delivering results for you, delivering results for our people,” Frett-Gregory said. “Hold me, hold Rodney, hold us accountable.”