leroymajor

Leroy Major, elected to Southern Shores in 2021, says he built his connection on the ground, is with the people, not the party, and is running this election independently.

After being denied the nomination by the Progressive Liberal Party, Major said he recalibrated and has been “working, planning, meeting my people” and insisting that if the election were held today, he would win.

That confidence by Major is testing whether personal loyalty to constituents can outweigh the party’s structure.

On the other side is Obie Roberts, a longtime party figure stepping into the spotlight for the first time as a candidate.

Roberts is the PLP’s choice, the official standard-bearer, and a reflection of the party’s internal decision-making.

And that’s where the real tension lies for the PLP. Major and Roberts are at odds with each other following Robert’s ratification.

The Southern Shores race could be a referendum on the party itself.

The PLP has pushed a strong message of unity under Philip Davis, but the constituency race tells another story. Two men from the same political party are now on opposite sides.

Voters are left to ask if unity is just a political message.

Major is strategic when she says he is “the people’s voice rather than the party’s voice,” tapping into a familiar voter frustration that elected officials sometimes serve the party interests before constituents.

Some voters, though, may question the influence he can deliver without the PLP backing.

Meanwhile, Roberts must do the opposite, convince voters that party loyalty does not mean disconnecting from the constituents.

Southern Shores Member of Parliament Leroy Major has already revealed that he is at odds with his party, the Progressive Liberal Party, following a string of public statements.

He already said that he asked to run again for Southern Shores and was denied. The party ratified Obie Roberts instead. He publicly stated he would support Clint Watson, but not Roberts, and warned that the party would “have to face” him if the party did not oblige.

And just recently he fired back at Roberts in a video clip, accusing him of cleaning up a problem that he says was created after party headquarters interfered with contracts tied to his constituency.

He claimed the park maintenance was always under contract but alleged that someone from PLP headquarters removed his control over the contracts and reassigned them “just to sabotage me.”

He also insisted that ongoing roadwork in the area was Phase Two of a project he initiated — “nothing to do with you and nothing to do with the (PLP) banner.”

Leroy Major has two real options:

1. Run as an Independent.

This would split the PLP vote in Southern Shores and create a serious vulnerability for the party in a seat it would prefer to hold onto. Major has name recognition in the area and it is still not clear how strong his base is. Even if he does not win, he could weaken the PLP enough to make the race competitive.

2. Resign now.

This option is more explosive. If Major resigns before the general election, it could trigger a by-election. That forces Prime Minister Philip Davis into a strategic dilemma: call a by-election and risk a public intra-party fight, or dissolve Parliament earlier than expected and call a general election quickly.

The unity problem

The PLP has repeatedly framed itself as the party of unity, especially in contrast to the Free National Movement’s internal conflicts, but Southern Shores shows a different story.

Back in June 2025, Major told the Tribune that backbenchers were being sidelined in the Davis administration, claiming Cabinet ministers were leveraging public resources for political advantage while ordinary MPs were marginalized. He said other backbenchers shared similar concerns.

He later backtracked.

If Major runs independently, the narrative becomes, PLP infighting.

If he resigns, the public sees the PLP as unstable.

If he stays and quietly supports the party, he preserves unity, but at the cost of political leverage.

What’s really at stake

It is about whether Davis and Party Chairman Fred Mitchell can maintain the image of unity the party has leaned on heading into the next election.

In Southern Shores, the picture right now is striking–two members of the Progressive Liberal Party are talking about the same community work, but telling different stories.

Newly ratified Progressive Liberal Party candidate Obie Roberts recently posted a video showing that he cleared down an overgrown park in the Marshall Road, Misty Gardens area. Residents had reportedly complained about safety concerns while walking in the mornings and evenings.

Roberts said, with the assistance of the Bahamas Department of Corrections, the area was cleaned to make the environment safer.

It was a straightforward visual showing space cleared and the problem addressed.

But the sitting Member of Parliament Leroy Major, responded with a video of his own, and a sharp rebuttal to Roberts.

Major argued that the park had always been on contract and claimed someone from PLP headquarters took control of his constituency contracts and reassigned them. “Thank you for cleaning up the mess you created,” he said, suggesting the situation was political sabotage rather than service.

He also insisted that ongoing roadwork in the area was part of a second phase he initiated, not a new effort under the PLP.

Watch the video here.

What might have been election constituency maintenance has now become a public optics battle.

And it comes at a sensitive time which is election season.

Major was recently denied renomination by the PLP, despite requesting to run again. The party ratified Roberts instead. Major has since voiced frustration and even floated the possibility of running as an independent.

For a party emphasizing unity heading into a general election, the visual of two PLPs disputing credit in the same constituency is significant.

Voters in Southern Shores may care less about internal dynamics and more about whether their park is safe and their roads are paved. But perception matters in politics. When the party’s disagreements play out publicly, it raises questions about unity.

In election season, even bush clearing can become a battleground.

When Southern Shores Member of Parliament Leroy Major publicly threw his support behind Clint Watson, it came with a warning.

Major, who wanted to run again but was not re-nominated by the Progressive Liberal Party, said plainly that if the PLP did not choose Watson as its standard bearer, the party would “have to face him.” When pressed by reporters on his next move, his response was, “Watch the road.”

Now, the party has made its choice, and it was not Watson. Instead, the PLP ratified Obie Roberts, closing the chapter on this internal conflict. But in doing so, it may have opened a more unpredictable battle.

What happens now?

First, Major is no longer bound by party expectations in the way a sitting MP seeking re-nomination normally would be. Having been passed over and having openly tied his political future to Watson’s selection, he is at a crossroads. Major can fall in line behind Roberts and urge his supporters to do the same in the name of party unity. That would be the cleanest outcome for the PLP.

Or, he can choose the other option which is messier. Major’s language has left the door wide open to the possibility of an independent run. In Bahamian politics, that threat is never taken lightly, especially in a constituency as competitive as Southern Shores. An independent candidacy Major can fracture the vote, depending on his strength in the area.

Major’s warning, “watch the road,” could mean resistance, retaliation, or simply frustration because he feels sidelined. The ambiguity may be intentional.

The PLP now faces a balancing act: selling Roberts to voters and managing the fallout from those who support Watson, who feel excluded by the process. How they handle Major could determine whether Southern Shores becomes unified or divided.