Sen. Terrence “Positive” Nelson, (ICM-St. Croix) will not be challenging Gov. John deJongh Jr. in this fall's election but will instead run for another term representing St. Croix in the Legislature. During a break in Senate hearings Wednesday evening on St. Croix, Nelson said he made the decision partly because he had not found a suitable and willing running mate in time to organize and mount an effective campaign.
Nelson, a former labor activist who often refers to himself as “the first Rasta senator,” was far and away the top St. Croix vote-getter in the 2008 legislative elections, receiving 7,225 votes election night and beating the second highest vote-getter, Senate newcomer Michael Thurland (D), by over a thousand votes.