Davis clobbers Hayles to break PNP’s 31-year hold on Hanover Western
Published:Friday | September 4, 2020 | 7:43 AMHopeton Bucknor/Gleaner Writer
Attorney-at-law Tamika Davis yesterday created a major upset in Hanover Western for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), sending People’s National Party (PNP) incumbent Ian Hayles packing as the dust settled in the 2020 general election.
Davis, who was contesting a seat for the first time, took the lead as soon as counting began last evening, sticking it out to poll 6,008 votes to Hayles’ 4,987, based on the preliminary count.
As voting progressed yesterday, there were whispers that Hayles would have been given the boot even as Comrades remained firm in their conviction that their man would be sent back to Gordon House.
Davis, who cast her vote at the Greenland United Church Hall at 9:30 a.m., told The Gleaner that the election proceeded smoothly throughout the day and expressed confidence that she would be victorious at the end of the day.
Hayles, who marked his ‘X’ at 3 p.m. at the Rhodes Hall High School in Orange Bay, said he was happy with the turnout of voters, adding that he should easily retain the seat, which the PNP had held since 1989.
Hayles, who was looking forward to his fourth term as member of parliament for Hanover Western and beat the JLP’s Brian Wallace by polling 6,829 to 5,358 in the 2016 general election, was unable to repeat the feat, losing by more than 1,000 votes.