Dead on Arrival: ULP’s Stewart Misfires in the South
By Jason Alexander · Sentinel Research Group
The Unity Labour Party’s rollout of Chevonne Stewart in the Southern Grenadines has been nothing short of a political blunder. Lacking political experience, community presence, and grassroots support, Stewart enters the race as a glaring mismatch for a constituency that has long stood firmly with the New Democratic Party—and shows no signs of shifting.
Five-term NDP incumbent Terence Ollivierre remains the dominant force across Union Island, Canouan, and Mayreau. Far from being on the back foot, Ollivierre is expanding his support.
Recent Sentinel polling conducted in late May shows Ollivierre leading with:
• 68% overall support, compared to 21% for Chevonne Stewart, with 9% undecided and 2% favoring other potential candidates
• Among women 45+, Ollivierre polls at 72%, with Stewart trailing at just 19%
• Among first-time voters aged 18–24, Ollivierre secures 64%, while Stewart sits at 24%
• On Union Island, Ollivierre commands 60% support; in Canouan, 82%; and in Mayreau, an impressive 74%
The ULP’s decision to bypass Abdon White, a beloved teacher and long-serving activist deeply embedded in the community, has only compounded the party’s woes. Constituents overwhelmingly say they would have supported White, who was on the front lines during Hurricane Beryl, over Stewart, who many see as unfamiliar, uninspiring, and disconnected from local realities.
To worsen public perception, Stewart was recently moved from her position at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital and reassigned to the Ministry of Housing and National Mobilization—a move many interpret as a naked attempt to enable her to use government resources, specifically building materials, to influence voters in the hurricane-ravaged Southern Grenadines.
Far from helping her candidacy, the move has triggered outrage.
Voters view the reassignment not as support, but as a transactional insult—an attempt to exchange galvanized sheets and lumber for ballots. “She had no chance before. Now she has even less,” said one Canouan fisherman, echoing a sentiment heard throughout the district.
Let’s be honest: Chevonne Stewart is an unattractive candidate in every respect. She has no organic support in the constituency, no history of community involvement, and no compelling platform. Her campaign feels imposed, contrived, and insulting to a proud and politically mature electorate.
The Southern Grenadines has always been NDP country, and nothing about this election cycle suggests otherwise.
With Ollivierre poised to win by a larger margin than in 2020, what was once a stronghold is now a landslide in the making.
Dead on arrival. That’s the Stewart candidacy.
Jason Alexander reporting for the Sentinel.