Change in ALP candidate has not lessened Simon’s favorability with voters, new poll finds

With the date of the by-election in St. Mary’s South yet to be
announced, a new poll conducted in the constituency reportedly
shows the United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate, Kelvin “Shugy”
Simon, continuing to lead in spite of the change in political
opponent.
 
Previous polls conducted by the Party showed that constituents are
displeased with the Antigua Labour Party and its leader, Prime
Minister Gaston Browne.
 
They were also not pleased with the performance of Samantha
Marshall, the parliamentary representative of nine years, who
resigned as the candidate, paving the way for UPP defector Dwayne
George to contest the upcoming poll for the Labour Party.
 
However, according to the most recent data, the switch to George
has not improved the Labour Party’s favorability, says UPP Public
Relations Officer Damani Tabor.
 
Tabor says that Simon beat George in likeability and he came out
ahead as the person who can be trusted in administering the
concerns of the constituency.

He says the data favourable to Simon reflect the feelings of a wide
cross-section, including men, the youth and, especially, women
voters.
 
Tabor says he believes the people are gravitating to Simon and love
him because of his proven track record in the constituency – even
before he became an elected member of parliament.
 
Otherwise, the UPP officer says the statistics related to the water
situation, healthcare, and the state of the economy remain
unchanged from when Marshall was the Labour Party candidate.
 
Meanwhile, the Cabinet says that a date for the by-election has not
been decided yet. However, it is aware that the latest date on which
a by-election can be called is October 26.