There has been much excitement in and around the Peel and Glenfaba constituency of late. With only Ray Harmer boasting previous governmental experience, it was certain that there would be new faces representing the area come the end of the election.
The west coast public went on to make history last night by electing the youngest ever member of the House of Keys, 18-year-old Daniel Davison, who will be joined by poll-topper former Peel Town Commissioner, Katryna Baptist. The result will see two new voices in the house.
Scores on the Doors
Baptist’s margin of victory was 85 votes, amassing 1,232 to Davison’s 1,147. James Hampton narrowly missed out on election by 74 votes with 1073. The full result is as follows:
- Katryna Baptist – 1,232
- Daniel Davison – 1,147
- James Hampton – 1073
- Geoffrey Pugh – 987
- Ray Harmer – 654
- Colleen Dale-Beeton – 629
- Mark Cleator – 315
- Alex Perriam – 262
The result is consistent with Vote 2026’s predicted outcome.
Baptist: “Govenment Needs to Rebuild Trust”
Baptist has worked previously as a business consultant, as well as lecturing at degree level and running businesses on-island. She founded her campaign on issues including governmental transparency, affordable housing initiatives and healthcare reform, as well as touching on issues in food security and education.
In the wake of her victory, Baptist said: “The government needs to rebuild the trust that people have in it. I’ve been out and knocked on so many doors and spoken to so many people; its so important to represent the people and consider the people.
“I know that sounds really basic, but I wrote a whole manifesto and hope there’s some common ground to be found with other people who’ve been elected. Some of the main things like housing, healthcare and improving government delivery.”
Davison: “History Has Been Made”
Davison’s election surely constituted the story of the evening, as he secured a seat in the house aged just 18. A barber and marketer by trade, he ran a campaign headlined by infrastructure management in Peel, support for rural communities and a reform in apprenticeships and higher education.
He outlined three principles after having his triumph confirmed, saying: “First is the economy. Young people like myself have been trying to afford to get on the property ladder and it’s just impossible.
“Second is keeping young people on the island, and having education and politics coinciding which I don’t think it does at the moment.
“Third, and I think everyone will agree with this, is the transparency and accountability of government. I’m young, I can get out and I’d love to just tell people what’s going on,” he added.