My Dear Friends and Supporters,
After deep reflection, prayer, and many conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek re-election. This was not an easy decision, because serving you in the Senate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
In the time that remains, I will continue working diligently on my legislation, while also supporting the good and necessary bills brought forward by my colleagues. My commitment to improving the lives of the people of the Virgin Islands remains as strong as ever.
I am deeply proud of the James legacy of public service. For almost 80 years, the James family has dedicated itself to this community—beginning with my grandfather, Aloysius A. James, who served on the Sixth St. Croix Municipal Council; my father, Dr. Randall N. James, who served in the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Legislatures; and my brother, Neville A. James, who served in the Twenty-Sixth, Twenty-Seventh, Twenty-Eighth, Twenty-Ninth, Thirty-First and Thirty-Second Legislatures. My uncle Attorney G. Luz A. James and his son, former Lieutenant Governor Gerard Luz A. James II also served in the Legislature.
But it was my mother, Constance Espinosa Roberts, and my grandmother, Margrethe Pedersen Espinosa, who gave me my deepest values. They instilled in me a love of education and the unshakable belief that I could do anything I set my mind to. My grandmother always reminded me that I should “do right by people.” That guiding principle has shaped every decision I have made in public service.
I also want to thank you—from the bottom of my heart—for trusting me to serve. Being a senator, while also campaigning, has been demanding in ways that are not always visible. My family has sacrificed alongside me, especially enduring the invasion of their privacy and the hurtful lies from those who could not accept a senator who is truly independent in judgment—one who votes her conscience in the public’s interest, rather than out of obligation to campaign donors.
With my law degree, my experience, and my deep love for the Virgin Islands, I know that there is still so much more I can do for my community outside of elected office. So, this is not the end—it is simply the beginning of another chapter in my life.
I close with words I have cherished and modified from a beautiful poem by Brazilian poet Mário de Andrade, “The Valuable Time of Maturity.”
St. Croix Source
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