Duncombe will not run as PLP candidate in Killarney

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Ronald Duncombe will not contest the Killarney constituency in the upcoming general election.

Duncombe previously carried the PLP banner in Killarney during the 2021 General Election, where he was defeated by then–Free National Movement (FNM) leader Dr. Hubert Minnis. In that contest, Minnis secured 2,501 votes to Duncombe’s 1,948, while other candidates Richa Sands and Kendal Lewis Jr. each received 323 votes, and Celi Moss garnered 31.

Killarney’s profile has been heightened by the fact that Minnis will return to the ballot as an independent candidate after the FNM declined to renominate him. The party has instead ratified Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis as its standard-bearer for the seat, setting up a high-profile contest that will test voter loyalties in the traditionally strong FNM constituency.

With Duncombe stepping aside, the PLP is expected to name a new candidate as it seeks to capitalize on the fractured FNM landscape and mount a stronger challenge in Killarney.

Political observers say the combination of an independent run by a former prime minister, a new FNM candidate, and a fresh PLP contender makes Killarney one of the races to watch when Bahamians head to the polls this year.