Eight Republican 2024 presidential candidates have qualified for the Virgin Islands GOP caucus, which has been scheduled for the beginning of February.
The Republican Party in the Virgin Islands Chairman Gordon Ackley announced that the caucus would occur on Feb. 8, positioning the territory as the third overall GOP contest after the caucus in Iowa and the primary in New Hampshire.
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“The Virgin Islands caucus will be a free, fair, and honest election,” Ackley said in a statement. “Preferential, or ranked-choice, voting gives every candidate a level playing field to compete and earn a majority of the vote.”
The candidates who qualified for the caucus are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, businessman Perry Johnson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and former President Donald Trump.
Those who qualified did so by a Sept. 30 filing deadline, according to the Virgin Islands Republican Party. Other candidates who have not qualified, such as former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, can qualify before Jan. 1, 2024.
“With the exception of 1976 — when Ronald Reagan challenged an unelected President Gerald Ford — the Virgin Islands has never seen this kind of attention from presidential candidates of either party,” said Ackley. “Mark your calendar: America’s Caribbean will be the place to be in February 2024.”
DeSantis was the first to file and qualify after meeting with Ackley following the first Republican debate in Milwaukee in August, the party said. The Florida governor will appear at a territorial GOP-hosted event on St. Thomas on Oct. 16.
Ackley said the other candidates have committed to events between now and the caucus.
“Going third-in-the-nation and first-in-the-territories is a huge opportunity, not least because Americans living in the territories are unable to vote for president in the general election,” said Republican Party Finance Chairman April Newland. “All of the candidates have shown tremendous interest in engaging in a discussion about the unique issues we face, which will help them earn the votes of Virgin Islanders.”
Voting on St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas will occur before the Nevada caucus, which is also scheduled for Feb. 8. Iowa’s caucus begins on Jan. 15 and New Hampshire, which holds first-in-the-nation status, has not set a date for its primary.
The Virgin Islands caucus will serve as an election for the Republican presidential nominee and an election for three internal party leadership offices: RNC national committeewoman, RNC national committeeman, and five State Committee members from each of the territory’s two electoral districts.
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Six of the nine Virgin Islands delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention will be elected in a process separate from the caucus, Ackley said. The three other delegates will be Ackley, the incumbent RNC national committeeman and national committeewoman, as per party rules.
The Republican candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote will receive all nine delegates from the Virgin Islands.
