Dave Apatang | |
---|---|
13th Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands | |
Assumed office January 9, 2023 | |
Governor | Arnold Palacios |
Preceded by | Arnold Palacios |
Mayor of Saipan | |
In office January 12,2015 –January 8,2023 | |
Preceded by | Marian Tudela |
Succeeded by | Ramon Camacho |
Personal details | |
Born | David Mundo Apatang July 10,1948 |
Political party | Republican (before 2021) Independent (2021–present) |
Spouse | Antonia Pangelinan Mafnas (deceased 2016) |
Education | San Francisco State University (BA) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1967–1987 |
Rank | First Sergeant |
David Mundo Apatang (born July 10,1948) [1] [2] is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who is serving as the 13th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since 2023. He previously served as the mayor of Saipan from January 12,2015 to January 8,2023. As a Republican,Apatang formerly served in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. [3] Apatang was elected lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2022 election on an independent ticket headed by Arnold Palacios. [4]
While in the Army,Apatang earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech and communications from San Francisco State University.
Apatang [5] served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1987. [6] A Vietnam War veteran,Apatang was stationed at various times in Vietnam;the Panama Canal Zone;Würzburg,Germany;Fort Lewis in Washington;Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana;and Fort Jackson in South Carolina. He ended his career at Fort Jackson and served on its courts-martial council. He retired with the rank of first sergeant in 1987. [7]
Following his military service,Apatang served in local government. He served seven consecutive terms in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. [6]
Atapang was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives in the 1995 general election. He was the second highest vote-getter in Saipan's Precinct 1. [8] Apatang ran for the Senate in 2001 on behalf of the Covenant Party in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate's 3rd district. [9] In the 2005 gubernatorial election,Apatang ran for Lieutenant Governor as the running mate of Heinz Hofschneider. While both Hofschneider and Apatang were Republicans,they ran as independents. [10] In a four-way race,the Hofschneider–Apatang ticket lost to Benigno Fitial and Timothy Villagomez of the Covenant Party by a single point. [11]
Shortly after the death of Donald Flores,the mayor of Saipan,Apatang announced his candidacy for the position. [5] Apatang,running as an independent,defeated Republican candidate Jose Alguto Reyes and Democratic candidate Antonio Pinaula Mareham in the 2014 general election. [12] Apatang succeeded Marian Tudela,the acting Mayor appointed after Flores's death. [13] He is currently serving his second term which ends January 2023. [14] His wife,Antonia Pangelinan Mafnas,died in Hawaii on December 14,2016. [7] [15] He was sworn in on January 12,2015. [16] In 2021,the House passed a resolution to honor Apatang's 50 years of service to the people of the CNMI. [14]
Apatang ran as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in the 2022 election,running on an independent ticket headed by then incumbent lieutenant governor Arnold Palacios. [4]
The Covenant Party was a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) advocating governmental and financial reform. It was named after the Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America,Act of Mar. 24,1976,Pub. L. 94-241,90 Stat. 263,codified as amended at 48 U.S.C. §1801 note. In the legislative elections of 2003,the Covenant Party won nine of eighteen seats. The party mostly made up of members from the Republican Party,but many prominent Democrats would also join the party. In the 2005 general elections,the Covenant Party increased its position as one of the strongest parties in the Commonwealth when Benigno R. Fitial,the party's gubernatorial candidate,won the election. The Covenant Party won seven of eighteen seats in the commonwealth's House of Representatives and three of nine seats in its Senate. In the Commonwealth Legislature 2007 elections,the Covenant Party won only four of twenty seats in the House of Representatives.
The Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It began as a purely local territorial party and is now officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party.
General elections were held in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on Saturday,5 November 2005,electing the governor and Legislature. There was also a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention,which was approved by voters. The gubernatorial election was the closest in the commonwealth's history,and resulted in the election of Benigno Fitial,narrowly defeating independent Heinz Hofschneider by 84 votes and incumbent Republican Governor Juan N. Babauta by an additional 98 votes. This would be the last year that the gubernatorial race would work in a first-past-the-post voting system as it would be reformed to work under a two-round system for the 2009 general elections. This election made commonwealth history by electing both the territory's first Carolinian governor and its first third party governor.
Benigno Repeki Fitial is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history,Fitial was elected on November 6,2005,assumed office on January 9,2006,and was re-elected to a (five-year) second term in 2009. He was impeached by the CNMI House of Representatives on February 11,2013,and was scheduled to face trial before the CNMI Senate to determine if he should be removed from office. He resigned on February 20,2013,after 7 years,1 month,and 11 days in office.
The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.
The 2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday,November 7,2009. This was the last general election to be held on a odd year. This election also saw the extension all office holding officials by one year to move the elections to even-years,corresponding with the elections of other federal and state offices,including the nationwide United States House of Representatives elections and the United States general elections. This election also oversaw the first run-off to be held in the Northern Mariana Islands,which were held on Monday,November 23,2009. Benigno Fitial became the first governor to win a second term since 1985 and the first time a candidate won a majority since 1993 thanks to the newly implemented run-off voting system.
Arnold Indalecio Palacios is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,since 2023. He previously served as the 12th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,from 2019 to 2023. He represented Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. Formerly a member of the Republican Party,he is the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,having won the 2022 election.
Heinz Sablan Hofschneider is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. Hofschneider served as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004 and is a four-time candidate for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Donald Glen Pangelinan Flores was a Northern Mariana Islander politician. Flores served as the mayor of Saipan,the capital and largest municipality of the Northern Mariana Islands,from January 2010 till his death on June 2,2014. He succeeded retiring Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela.
General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on 4 November,2014. Voters elected the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands,the Lieutenant Governor,the Attorney General,the Delegate to the US Congress,the Senate,the House of Representatives,mayors,municipal councils and the Board of Education. Additionally,a referendum involving changes to the constitution was held.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the Northern Mariana Islands by the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26,2015,which struck down same-sex marriage bans nationwide. On June 29,Governor Eloy Inos issued a statement hailing the decision as "historic",and said he would work with the Attorney General and local officials to bring the U.S. territory into compliance. Attorney General Edward Manibusan issued a memorandum on June 30 confirming that the territory was bound by the court decision and said that marriage license forms would be changed to include same-sex couples.
Victor Borja Hocog is a Northern Marianan politician. He served as the President of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate from January 14,2019 to January 11,2021,and previously from January 12,2015 to December 29,2015. He also served as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from December 29,2015 to January 14,2019.
The 2018 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on Tuesday,November 13,2018,to elect the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Incumbent Republican governor Ralph Torres,who ascended to governorship in December 2015 following the death of Governor Eloy Inos,sought election to a full term.
Angel Aldan Demapan is a Northern Mariana Islands politician affiliated with the Republican Party.
The 2018 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Tuesday,13 November,2018,corresponding with the 2018 United States midterm elections. Originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday,6 November,2018,the elections were delayed by one week due to the impact and aftermath of Typhoon Yutu. Early voting was held from Tuesday,6 November,until Monday,12 November,2018. An estimated 18,975 voters were eligible to vote in the 2018 election.
The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2022 to elect the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election,the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25,2022.
Marian Deleon Guerrero Tudela is a Northern Mariana Islands politician who served as the mayor of Saipan,the capital of the Commonwealth,from June 2014 until January 2015. She was appointed mayor of Saipan by Governor Eloy Inos to fill the unexpired term of Mayor Donald Flores following his death in office. Tudela is the first female mayor of Saipan,as well as the first woman to serve as mayor of any Northern Mariana Islands municipality in history.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives election in the Northern Mariana Islands will be held on Tuesday,November 5,2024,to elect the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives in the 119th United States Congress. The Delegate,who is elected to a two-year term,represents the Northern Mariana Islands' at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Corina Lorraine Magofna is a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate from Saipan. Magnofa was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives in a 2021 special election. Magofna was then elected to the Senate in the 2022 general election.
The 2022 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Tuesday,8 November,2022,corresponding with the elections of other federal and state offices,including the nationwide 2022 United States House of Representatives elections and the 2022 United States general elections. A runoff for the gubernatorial race were held on Friday,25 November,2022. This election saw the election of the CNMI's first independent governor and lieutenant governor. Both the CNMI Democratic Party and the CNMI Republican Party displayed lackluster results when compared to the independents in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. This election also saw the first time the Democratic Party contested the governorship since the 2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election and the first time said party received more than 10% of the popular vote since the 2005 Northern Mariana Islands general election.