By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FRED Mitchell said he would have resigned from Cabinet if he had lost the chairmanship race on Friday at the PLP’s convention.

Mr Mitchell retained his post after defeating Robyn Lynes, receiving 845 votes while his opponent got 630.

He said the victory affirmed his humanity after a particularly “noxious campaign”.

He thanked Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis for publicly endorsing his bid.

“It came after a particularly nasty set of comments generated in the public, and this suggested that somehow I was less than human,” he said.

“I want to point out that had we not succeeded today or tonight, there was a consequence which would follow in our system. It meant that there was a repudiation of the prime minister as head of the Cabinet’s decision and would’ve led to my resignation from the Cabinet. I wrote that resignation this morning just in case.”

Mr Mitchell told reporters his victory allows the party to fully focus on the upcoming West Grand Bahama and Bimini by-election.

He reiterated that this was likely his “penultimate” political campaign, and that running in Fox Hill for MP at the next election would be his final campaign.

He said he will tour the country while fulfilling the party’s objectives as part of a “long goodbye”.

Ms Lynes reflected on her strong showing, which suggested that Mr Mitchell or the PLP’s establishment has lost ground with its base since the 2021 general election.

In 2019, Mr Mitchell beat Obie Wilchcombe by 802 votes to 338 in the chairman race.

“It’s a strong message that our membership is alive and well and that they support and encourage what I intended to do tonight,” Ms Lynes said.

She said she embraced Mr Mitchell after the results were revealed and is ready to rally behind the party’s leadership.

“After results are in, we come together in a united front because we have one common goal, one common interest,” she said.

“Whatever it is that they want me to do, whatever the role is that they think they want me to play, I’m definitely going to be doing that because I support this party.”

“I support our leadership. I believe we have a lot to offer to this country.”

Mr Mitchell suggested he was unfazed by the victory margin.

“Frank Edgecombe, who was one of my predecessors in Fox Hill said to me, brother Mitchell you only have to win by one,” he said.

Mr Davis, meanwhile, said he believes the result was as close as it was because Mr Mitchell began campaigning late.

“I think the results might be a result of the fact that he was not campaigning as he would ordinarily do if he was truly going on his own,” he said.

Former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson, who endorsed Ms Lynes after withdrawing from the race, said the results show issues in the PLP.

“When you look at the fact that Fred was supported by every Cabinet minister and the prime minister made his decision public, right, despite that, I think Robyn only lost by somewhere around 215 votes or something like that,” he said. “She did really, really well, and so it tells you that you have some issues in the party that you need to deal with.”

He said Mr Mitchell is losing support in the organisation.

“No question about it and I think it should be a wake-up call for him,” he said. “Fred couldn’t run on his own, he needed the leader.”

“I think if you take away the support of the leader himself then Fred really lost the election, right?”

“But the fact is he’s the winner, the leader supported him. The leader uses influence to help persons vote for him. There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s democracy. So the democracy is on full display and there’s no issues in terms of people talking about cheating.”

“No, no, no, he won. He got the majority support. So we move on, and we rally behind the party.”

Mr Mitchell was also asked about suggestions that he might serve only for a year, which he said had been said publicly by the Prime Minister, but suggested that a special convention might need to be called, and noted the expense of organising conventions.