PORT MARIA, St Mary — Full of bluster ahead of Sunday’s vote, both candidates hoping to replace Dr Morais Guy as People’s National Party’s (PNP) representative for St Mary Central are confident of a win.

Both feel they have done enough to win over delegates who will gather at St Mary High School to vote for the man they think has the better chance of making sure the PNP retains its grip on the constituency at the next general election.

With incumbent Dr Guy — who has indicated he will not seek re-election — refusing to choose sides publicly, Senator Floyd Morris and former head of PNP affiliate The Patriots, Omar Newell have not been shy about blowing their own trumpets.

“I am confident and very optimistic that I will win as I ran a clean campaign and brought a message of hope to the people,” said Morris, Jamaica’s first blind senator who was also at one point president of the Upper House.

He said he has campaigned on issues such as his vision for areas including education; improved infrastructure through better water and roads; sports development; and employment within the parish. He believes this has been enough to convince delegates across the constituency that he is the better choice.

“I am strong in all the divisions and I know victory will be mine on Sunday,” Morris told the Jamaica Observer.

“When Floyd Morris becomes the Member of Parliament it will give my party a major lift — it is history in the making,” he added.

But the man standing in his way is equally confident of victory.

“I come with a different approach of leadership, which is a democratic socialism one,” Newell told the Sunday Observer.

He said his mission for the constituency includes improving the lives of the people through his plans for education, low-income housing, tourism and entertainment, along with the continued work of investing in sports development.

“Central St Mary is one of the most sought-after places to live in and I have plans to develop [it], through investors, by building low-income housing in Highgate,” said Newell.

If elected he also plans to continue some of the work done by the sitting MP while putting his own stamp on the constituency.

“I will continue the work of my mentor, Dr Morais Guy, in handing out grants for tertiary students but there will also be revamping of school boards in the constituency to be more valuable to the schools and the parents,” promised Newell.

He, too, said he is leading in all four divisions, with support for him being strongest in Highgate and Islington.

Unlike Morris — who is making his second attempt to become the parliamentary representative for the constituency in which he, like Newell, was born — this is Newell’s first time in a political race.

In June an internal PNP opinion poll showed that party supporters saw Newell as the better option, besting the JLP’s last horse in the 2020 race, Lennon Richards, 43.8 per cent to 28.2 per cent. Morris also came out ahead of Richards but with a smaller margin: 39.5 per cent support versus 27.1 per cent.

The leaked results sent Morris into damage control mode, and in a voice note issued to supporters he assured them that he was still in the race.