Roach Francis
VIIQ does not endorse any candidate. This page exists so voters can find information about every certified 2026 ticket in one place. All candidate quotes and positions are sourced from public statements, campaign materials, and verified news coverage. Where no public statement exists on an issue, it is noted. If you represent this campaign and want to submit a platform document, email signal@viiq.org.
Tregenza A. Roach
/ Novelle E. Francis Jr.
Governor · Lieutenant Governor · 2026 General Election · November 3, 2026
Tregenza Roach is the sitting Lieutenant Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, serving since 2019 alongside Governor Albert Bryan Jr. Born in Sandy Point, St. Kitts, he migrated to St. Thomas at age eight. A former journalist, attorney, senator, author, and educator, Roach has served in all three branches of territorial government. He is one of the most experienced candidates in the 2026 field.
Campaign website and official 2026 platform pending review.
Novelle Francis Jr. is a St. Croix senator with over 30 years of public service. A career law enforcement officer who rose to serve as VIPD Police Commissioner, he was first elected to the Legislature in 2015 and has since served as Senate President twice and Vice President once. He chairs the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance in the 36th Legislature.
Additional background to be confirmed from public records and campaign materials.
Background & Career
Sourced from Office of the Lieutenant Governor official biography, Legislature of the Virgin Islands, Wikipedia, Ballotpedia, and verified news reporting. All entries are confirmed public record.
Each issue below maps to a category from VIIQ's 2026 Issues Guide. Positions are added only when we find a verified public statement — we do not guess, paraphrase, or infer. Where no sourced position exists, it is noted. If you represent this campaign and want to submit a platform document, email signal@viiq.org.
"WAPA requires a comprehensive plan that includes renewable energy, financial discipline, and community trust. We need collaboration, not finger-pointing. The utility's problems did not begin with any one administration."
"I am as affected by WAPA outages as you are. I have an aging mother who uses a nebulizer and has medications that need to be refrigerated. The agony of WAPA outages are real for me in their effect and not just the substance of some ad for political gain. It requires real solutions."
"Since taking office, I have worked with my colleagues to fund the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority and address its insolvency, which gives the authority greater flexibility to make critical infrastructure investments. I have also supported the leasing of government-owned property to entities for the purposes of building wind or solar farms, thereby adding greater resiliency to the territory's electrical grid."
"Addressing the high cost of living takes a multifaceted approach. As a senator, I have supported the agriculture industry, with the long-term goal of creating food sustainability and reducing our complete reliance on imported products, which contributes to the high cost of living. I have also explored ways to address low and stagnant wages that have not kept pace with the cost of living."
"The Legislature has demanded greater accountability from the executive branch in the execution of disaster related projects. As a senator, I continue to push for adherence to timelines for the expenditure of funds and completion of projects, particularly in the Envision program."
"Since taking office, I have collaborated with my colleagues to fund early Head Start and granny pre-K programs. I have also sponsored legislation that would establish a recruitment and retention incentive for teachers and other in-demand professions. Recognizing that the teacher shortage is a national dilemma, the territory must explore every option of retaining experienced and highly qualified educators."
"EDC rules that allow companies to hire workers from elsewhere and count them as V.I. residents after one year — that does not grow resident employment. That is a thing that I would change."
Source note: Candidate certification from the Elections System of the Virgin Islands, June 2026. Tregenza Roach biography sourced from Office of the Lieutenant Governor official biography (ltg.gov.vi), Wikipedia, Ballotpedia, and Times Caribbean Online. Novelle Francis Jr. biography sourced from Legislature of the Virgin Islands (legvi.org), Wikipedia, and Ballotpedia. Roach WAPA and Jobs quotes sourced from VI Daily News and St. Thomas Source / St. John Source, AFL-CIO Gubernatorial Forum, June 26–27, 2026. Francis issue positions sourced from St. Thomas Source, "Meet the Candidates: Novelle E. Francis Jr." (October 2024) — noted as statements made during his senate re-election campaign, prior to the governor's race announcement. VIIQ does not attribute positions that have not been publicly stated. To submit a campaign platform document, email signal@viiq.org.