Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.) joined Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett and gubernatorial running mate, Senate President Milton Potter, for a star-studded “last lap” campaign rally on St. Thomas on Friday.
Crockett, who was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, gained national notoriety for her no-holds-barred demeanor during congressional hearings and interrogations and became well-respected by segments of the democratic electorate for her progressive politics.
Her official endorsement of Plaskett for governor comes less than a week before early voting in the Democratic Party primary begins on July 20.
“I know that many of you have not necessarily had the privilege of actually watching her in D.C. but right now, when it comes down to a governor, you need somebody who knows what they’re doing and knows who they are doing it for. I promise you, Stacy Plaskett is gonna be that girl,” she said.
Plaskett has also recently been endorsed by Congressman Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
Although Crockett was unsuccessful in her bid to become the Democratic Party’s nominee for US Senate in Texas, losing the primary to State Rep. James Talarico, she has continued to support fellow Democratic politicians running for elected office through her Fueling Individual Rights Everywhere (FIRE) PAC.
Crockett launched FIRE shortly after her loss to Talarico, and describes it as “a pipeline for the next generation of leadership that will fight for you at every level and reshape politics to put power back in the hands of we, the people.” To date, the PAC has endorsed Xavier Becerra for governor of California, as well as Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Colin Allred, and Christian Menefee for U.S. Congress, among others.
Crockett delivered impassioned remarks in support of Plaskett, citing their experience working together on the House Judiciary Select Subcommittee for the Weaponization of the Federal Government, for which Plaskett was the ranking member.
“When I tell you that she always had my back, I can’t say that about all my colleagues in D.C. Stacy always backed me up,” she said.
Just before Jam Band took the stage, Plaskett, accompanied by her husband Jonathan Buckney-Small, delivered her own remarks. She touched on a wide range of timely issues, including brain drain and the inadequacy of the Virgin Islands’ healthcare system.
“When Milton [Potter] and I decided to run together, we asked Virgin Islanders, ‘What do you want? What do you want as a government?’ And we were willing to put ourselves on the line and say all the things that we were about, while the other campaigns only took pictures of themselves and said, ‘You know me. You went to school with me.’ That doesn’t mean that they can run a government,” she said.
Plaskett also delivered a message of regional unity, declaring that “we should be the beacon for every other Caribbean island…because we are the only island that encompasses every other island.”
“As Jasmine Crockett said, I believe the unrealistic can be reality. Our reality should be what we dream for the Virgin Islands,” Plaskett said.
Plaskett’s star-studded “last lap” rally on St. Thomas was heavily attended, and featured performances from Klimaxx, Jam Band, and R. City. The next rally will take place on St. Croix on July 18. Early voting in the Aug. 1 Democratic Primary election begins July 20.
