The Virgin Islands’ non-voting delegate to Congress, Donna M.C. Christensen, announced Saturday that she will run for governor, opening a seat she has safely held for nearly 20 years.  

So far, two Virgin Islands Democrats have entered the race to succeed her.  

Stacey Plaskett, a St. Croix attorney, announced her intention last November to run for Congress. Plaskett is making her second run for the House after losing to Christensen in the 2012 Democratic primary. The former congressional staffer, lobbyist and Justice Department official said she was confident she could build on her momentum from 2012 to win the Democratic nomination this year.  

Emmett Hansen will join the race on Friday with an official campaign kickoff . Hansen is a former Virgin Islands senator and former chairman of the Virgin Islands Democratic Party.  

In 2010, a number of Democrats attempted to remove Hansen as head of their party, claiming he did not support the gubernatorial candidate.  However, Hansen withstood that attempt and won the chairmanship again in 2012.  

The filing deadline for the 2014 race is May 13, with a primary election scheduled for Aug. 2.