Exciting and Influential: U.S. Virgin Islands Joins Nevada as 3rd GOP Primary Contest

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) will hold its Republican caucuses on Feb. 8, making it the third state or territory to do so after Nevada. However, because the voters on St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas will be in an earlier time zone, their caucuses will wrap up before Nevada’s.

Unlike states, USVI is a U.S. territory, so its citizens cannot vote in presidential elections. Nevertheless, as U.S. citizens, the residents of the islands can participate in the primaries.

In total, the U.S. territory has nine delegates. If a candidate wins with over 50% of the votes, they will receive all nine delegates. If the winning margin is under 50%, the delegates will be divided proportionally.

Candidates must pay a $20,000 fee before Sep. 30 to qualify for the ballot. After the deadline, additional candidates can still qualify, but they will need to pay a $50,000 late fee.

Currently, the following individuals have qualified for the USVI ballot: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, former President Donald Trump, and Perry Johnson.

The campaigns of former Vice President Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson were informed about the fee three months ago but have not qualified because they have not paid it, according to the USVI GOP spokesperson who spoke to CBS News.

“Mike Pence didn’t file in the Virgin Islands, not because they didn’t know about it, but because they don’t have the money,” said USVI GOP spokesperson Dennis Lennox.

CBS News reached out to both campaigns to inquire if they plan to pay the late fee to be on the ballot. Pence’s campaign stated that it intends to pay the fee, while Hutchinson’s campaign has not responded.