PLP incumbent Jaché Adams maintained his stranglehold over Constituency 19, with 315 Pembroke West voters choosing him to return to the House of Assembly.

OBA candidate Marcus Jones polled 236 votes, while independent candidate Suzie Arruda attracted 122.

The returning officer announced the result at about 11pm in the deserted Pembroke West School yard. The few supporters in attendance had sheltered from the cold North Shore night in their cars.

After winning nearly 47 per cent of the vote, Mr Adams said he would return to the House of Assembly with the island’s roads a high priority, although he was confident that efforts were already well in-hand to address that part of Bermuda’s crumbling infrastructure.

He believes his electoral success has been due to his grass roots approach and the observance of the wider issues in the community.

But he said February 18 was special for him, not just because of his victory at the polls, but also because it was the anniversary of the death of his father, Antoine Craig Brangman.

The shirt he wore over his suit was emblazoned with his father’s image.

This year’s turnout was low. The polling station saw a queue when the doors opened at 8am. Arrivals then trailed off to a steady trickle — and sometimes an outright lull — for most of the day.

There were 673 votes cast, out of 1,199 registered voters. About 56 per cent of the constituency’s electorate participated.

Comparatively, Mr Adams won the 2020 poll handily, garnering 502 (59 per cent) of the 848 total votes cast at that time. Mr Jones had 307 (36 per cent) votes. The FDM candidate, LeYoni Junos, had 39 votes or less than 5 per cent. There were 1,223 registered voters in C19 in 2020.

All of C19’s 2025 candidates mentioned the state of the roads, with clear evidence they each heard an earful of concern at the doorstep during canvassing.

Candidates had their share of supporters during the day, including political luminaries who know a thing or two about successful candidacies.

Mr Adams had former PLP MP Glenn Blakeney, the head of the broadcasting group Inter-Island Communications Ltd, at his side during the day of polling.

Mr Blakeney believes that the dynamics of Bermuda politics have become far more challenging since he left office in 2015.

He said the recent pandemic and other global challenges have brought more pressures to bear for Bermuda policymakers.

Mr Jones had 35 per cent of the vote, but during the day he had support from his once OBA colleague, the former Deputy Premier and finance minister Bob Richards.

Independent candidate Ms Arruda polled 18 per cent of the vote. She also had a group of supporters during parts of the long day.

Former MP and cabinet member Gerald Simons was a voter in C19.

He took a moment to consider the preponderance of independent candidates, and how it was so different from his days, when he served with the United Bermuda Party government.

The longtime top insurance executive said it would be interesting to see what impact, if any, independents would have on the election.