V.I. gubernatorial candidate Soraya Diase Coffelt has selected hedge fund owner, financier and perennial independent political candidate Warren Mosler as her running mate, the Diase Coffelt campaign announced Tuesday.
“My vision for the Virgin Islands is to develop it into the economic powerhouse of the Caribbean. In order to bring about this economic growth and prosperity, I am seeking qualified and experienced people to join me," Coffelt said in a statement, before announcing Mosler has agreed to be her running mate.
"The Office of the Lieutenant Governor is responsible for very important financial issues, including banking, insurance, corporations and trademarks, and property taxes. Mosler is well qualified to execute these duties and help me create a more prosperous future for all of us,” said Diase Coffelt.
“His 40 years of high level experience in financial markets and exemplary management of his investment fund, along with his global achievements in promoting progressive economic policies, have more than demonstrated his capabilities and qualifications for the office. Moreover, he is dedicated to the people of the Virgin Islands and is committed to working with me as a team to fight on behalf of the people, for a better Virgin Islands,” Diase Coffelt said.
“This is both a great honor and opportunity,” said Mosler. “Soraya Diase Coffelt has all of the professional qualifications and experience to serve as the next governor. In addition, her integrity and honesty combine to make her – by any measure – the superior candidate for Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
Mosler, who the Diase Coffelt campaign describes as an 11-year resident of St. Croix, has run to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands in Congress several times, coming in a distant second to Delegate Donna Christensen in 2004 and 2006, and again in 2012.
After getting 17 percent of the vote when running for delegate in 2012, Mosler asked for an investigation into the election.
Mosler claimed he had "reports from insiders at the machine vote counting indicated they were reading 43 percent for Donna and 37 percent for me shortly before the official results were reported."
But the tally was updated repeatedly on election night and distributed to media and others outside elections offices many times, in front of hundreds of witnesses on St. Croix and on St. Thomas. And the late night tally updates did not show what Mosler claimed they showed.
Mosler also filed papers in 2009 to run for U.S. president as an independent, then withdrew in 2010 to run for U.S. Senate in the state of Connecticut, briefly as a Democrat, then as an independent, garnering 1 percent of the vote.
Diase Coffelt and Mosler will run as independents.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct that Coffelt and Mosler are running as independents. The Source regrets the error.
