The Progressive Labour Party won the 2017 General Election, recording a strong victory over the OBA, winning 24 seats to the OBA’s 12, and claiming 20,059 total votes [58.89%] to the OBA’s 13,832 votes [40.61%].
As a simplified summary, the PLP held all their seats and won 7 from the OBA, while the OBA held on to 12 seats.
Of the seven OBA members who lost their seats, many would say the most high profile defeat was handed to the OBA Deputy Leader and former Minister of Finance Bob Richards, who was defeated by Chris Famous.
The PLP made a dominant showing in the east end, where OBA members Nandi Outerbridge, Kenneth Bascome, and Suzann Roberts Holshouser all lost their seats, being replaced by Kim Swan, Renee Ming and Tinee Furbert, who all won by over 60%.
Dennis Lister III continued the Lister family tradition as he entered the House of Assembly as an MP after defeating the OBA’s Jeff Sousa, the PLP’s Wayne Caines defeated the OBA’s Glen Smith to earn the PLP another seat, and Lt/Col David Burch also won a seat previously held by the OBA.
Before the final results were even confirmed, it became clear the PLP was heading towards victory, and their supporters gathered outside PLP headquarters, and celebrated until the early hours of the morning.
Bermuda moved to the single seat system before the 2003 election, and the 24-12 win in 2017 was the highest margin of victory under the modern 36 single seat system to date, besting the prior highest margin of 22-14, however the margin was later increased in the 2020 General Election, which the PLP won 30 – 6.
In addition to winning 24 seats, the PLP increased their winning percentage of the vote in multiple seats, and recorded fairly large margins of victory in many of the seats they won from the OBA.
Const. #1 St. George’s North: PLP Win
Kenneth L. Bascome OBA 365
Renee Ming PLP 590
Const. #2 St. George’s West: PLP Win
Nandi Outerbridge OBA 360
Kim Swan PLP 690
Const. # 3 St. Davids: PLP Win
Lovitta Foggo PLP 737
Andrea Moniz-DeSouza OBA 228
Const. # 4 St. George’s South: PLP Win
Tinee Furbert PLP 652
Suzann Roberts-Holshouser OBA 429
Const. #5 Hamilton East: PLP Win
Peter Barrett OBA 192
Derrick Burgess PLP 808
Const. #6 Hamilton West: PLP Win
Simone Barton OBA 281
Wayne Furbert PLP 635
Thad Hollis IND 60
Const. #7 Hamilton South: OBA Win
Sylvan Richards OBA 486
Anthony Richardson PLP 465
Const. #8 Smith’s South: OBA Win
Cole Simons OBA 729
Gershywn Charles Conway Smith IND 15
Roseanne Tucker PLP 274
Const. #9 Smith’s West: OBA Win
Vance Campbell Jr. PLP 405
Trevor Moniz OBA 540
Const. #10 Smith’s North: OBA Win
Michael Dunkley OBA 497
Dr. Ernest Peets Jr. PLP 454
Const. #11 Devonshire East: PLP Win
Christopher Famous PLP 513
E.T. [Bob] Richards OBA 419
Const. #12 Devonshire South Central: OBA Win
Craig Cannonier OBA 743
George Scott PLP 152
Const. #13 Devonshire North Central: PLP Win
Fabian Minors OBA 337
Diallo Rabain PLP 616
Const. #14 Devonshire North West: PLP Win
Wayne Caines PLP 568
Paula Ann Cox IND 41
Glen Smith OBA 385
Const. #15 Pembroke East: PLP Win
Walter Roban PLP 733
Scott Stewart OBA 73
Const. #16 Pembroke East Central: PLP Win
Michael Weeks PLP 820
Lynne Woolridge OBA 58
Const. #17 Pembroke Central: PLP Win
Walton Brown PLP 540
Andrew Simons OBA 283
Const. #18 Pembroke West Central: PLP Win
David Burt PLP 639
Nick Kempe OBA 326
Const. #19 Pembroke West: OBA Win
Jeanne Atherden OBA 502
Jason Hayward PLP 379
Const. #20 Pembroke South West: OBA Win
Susan Jackson OBA 650
Graham Maule PLP 176
Const. #21 Pembroke South East: PLP Win
Rolfe Commissiong PLP 538
Rodney Smith 228
Elmore Warren 34
Const. #22 Paget East: OBA Win
Grant Gibbons OBA 704
Curtis Richardson PLP 397
Const. #23 Paget West: OBA Win
Emily-Gail Dill PLP 317
Patricia Gordon-Pamplin OBA 645
Const. #24 Warwick South East: PLP Win
Nalton Brangman OBA 334
Lawrence Scott PLP 723
Const. #25 Warwick North East: OBA Win
Jeff Baron OBA 493
Kathy Lynn Simmons PLP 428
Const. #26 Warwick South Central: PLP Win
Robyn Swan OBA 192
Neville Tyrrell PLP 724
Const. #27 Warwick North Central: PLP Win
Colonel David Burch PLP 661
Sheila Gomez OBA 338
Const. #28 Warwick West: PLP Win
Dennis Lister III PLP 530
Jeff Sousa OBA 518
Const. #29 Southampton East: PLP Win
Zane DeSilva PLP 726
Winfield Todd OBA 145
Const. #30 Southampton East Central: OBA Win
Quinton Butterfield PLP 463
Leah Scott OBA 516
Const. #31 Southampton West Central: OBA Win
Crystal Caesar PLP 457
Ben Smith OBA 506
Const. #32 Southampton West: PLP Win
Scott Simmons PLP 645
Christina Eliot Storey IND 19
Charlie Swan OBA 263
Const. #33 Sandys South: PLP Win
Georgia Marshall OBA 339
Jamahl Snaith Simmons PLP 653
Const. #34 Sandys South Central: PLP Win
Ed Bailey OBA 170
Kim Wilson PLP 730
Const. #35 Sandys North Central: PLP Win
Dennis Lister PLP 644
Michael Swan OBA 261
Const. #36 Sandys North: PLP Win
Ray Charlton OBA 297
Michael Scott PLP 577
A list – devised before the 2017 Election – of all the candidates and previous results is below [PDF here]:
