Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands)

Last updated
CNMI Republican Party
Chairperson James Ada
1st Vice-ChairMathilda "Keko" A. Rosario
2nd Vice-ChairJesus Torres Aldan
SecretaryWilliam "Bill" Villagomez
TreasurerEdward C. Deleon Guerrero
Preceded byTerritorial Party
Ideology Conservatism
National affiliation Republican Party
Colors  Red
Seat in the U.S. House of Representatives
0 / 1
Seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate
4 / 9
Seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives
3 / 20
Northern Mariana Islands Mayors
3 / 4
Election symbol
Republican Party Disc (alternate).svg

The CNMI Republican Party is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party is now associated with the United States Republican Party though no Northern Mariana Islands politicians have achieved high-ranking positions in the mainland United States.

Contents

History

In the 2001 gubernatorial election Juan Babauta of the Republican Party won with 42.8% of the vote. At the legislative elections of November 1, 2003 the party won 7 out of 18 seats in the House of Representatives.

In 2001, the conservative Covenant Party would split and form from Republican Party, becoming the main competitor for the Republicans in the CNMI up until the Covenant Party's dissolution and merger in 2013.

In 2003, the Covenant Party managed to gain half of the seats in the CNMI House of Representatives and one-third of the senate, both of which resulted in a plurality victory over both the Republicans and the Democrats. [1] [2]

In 2004, the CNMI Republican party gained recognition on the island of Tinian. [3]

In the 2005 Northern Mariana Islands general election, incumbent Governor Juan Babauta was defeated, receiving 26% of the vote and placing third, behind Covenant Party Candidate Benigno Fitial, who placed first, and independent candidate Heinz Hofschneider. [4] The Republicans won 7 of 18 seats in the House of Representatives and 3 of 9 seats in the Senate.

In the 2007 Northern Mariana Islands general election, the party took 12 of 20 seats in the House of Representatives, giving them a strong majority in the lower chamber. However, the Republicans would lose a seat in the Senate, giving the party 2 out of 9 seats in the upper chamber.

In 2013, the governor, Eloy S. Inos, switched party affiliation from the Covenant Party to the Republican Party, thus making the governorship controlled by the Republican Party. [5] This marked the final days of the Covenant Party as it officially dissolved in 2013, merging with the Republicans, leaving the GOP to remain unchallenged with the exception of independents candidates until the resurgence of the Democratic Party in 2020.

In 2014, Senator Frank M. Borja reported that the GOP on Tinian was in disarray because most islanders were affiliated with the party. [6]

Before the 2020 general elections, the CNMI Republican Party was significantly stronger than the CNMI Democratic Party, which had not been represented in the legislature from 2010 to 2020, winning their last seat in the 2007 general elections. [7]

Positions

The CNMI Republican administration has stated that it does not want to get involved in national US debates on subjects such as immigration because of the CNMI's unique situation in United States politics. [8]

Despite their position on national politics, the Republican-controlled CNMI government—which had a super-majority in the House and Senate in 2016—attempted to push for gun bans. When the gun ban was found unconstitutional, the CNMI government pushed for a $1000 excise tax, which was also found unconstitutional. [9] [10]

On September 21, 2018, Republican Governor Ralph Torres signed into law the Taulamwaar Sensible CNMI Cannabis Act, stating: "Today, our people made history. We took a stand to legalize marijuana in the CNMI for recreational, medical, and commercial use." [11] This made the CNMI the first place in the United States to launch a commercial cannabis legalization system through an act of lawmakers rather than it being implemented by voters through a ballot initiative and also the first U.S. jurisdiction to go from completely outlawing cannabis to allowing recreational use without first having a medical marijuana program. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Babauta</span> Northern Mariana Islander politician

Juan Nekai Babauta is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who served as the sixth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 14, 2002, to January 9, 2006.

The Covenant Party was a political party in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The party was founded in 2001, splitting from the Republican Party and was dissolved in 2013, with the party merging back into the Republican Party. The party advocated for governmental and financial reform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Northern Mariana Islands general election</span>

The 2005 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday, 5 November 2005. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all eighteen seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 3 mayors, seats for the municipal council, seats for the board of education, 2 justices, and a judges. There was also a referendum on calling a Constitutional Convention, which was approved by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benigno Fitial</span>

Benigno Repeki Fitial is a Northern Marianan politician who served was the seventh 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Mariana Islands Senate</span> Upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature

The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts, each a multi-member constituency with three senators.

The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the United States insular area of the Northern Mariana Islands:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Northern Mariana Islands general election</span>

General elections were held in the Northern Mariana Islands on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, and seats for the board of education. Additionally, a referendum was held.

Rita Hocog Inos was a Northern Mariana Island educator, activist and politician. Inos was the former Education Commissioner of the Northern Marianas school system and served on the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents. Inos was a two-time candidate for Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, becoming the first woman to seek election to that particular office.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 United States House of Representatives election in Northern Mariana Islands</span>

The 2010 Congressional election in the Northern Mariana Islands occurred on November 2, 2010 and elected the territory's Delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Representatives and non-voting Delegates are elected for two-year terms; the elected will serve in the 112th Congress from January 3, 2011 until January 3, 2013.

Jesus "Jesse" Camacho Borja is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and lawyer who served as the fourth lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from January 10, 1994 until January 12, 1998 under former Democratic Governor Froilan Tenorio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election</span>

The 2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 4 November, 2014. The election coincided with the 2014 United States midterm elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands voted for the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the municipal council, and seats for 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Torres</span> Northern Marianan politician (born 1979)

Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres is a Northern Marianan politician, who served as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, from December 29, 2015, to January 9, 2023. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The third longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Torres took office upon the death of Governor Eloy Inos on December 29, 2015, before being reelected as governor in his own right in 2018. He previously served as the tenth lieutenant governor, having been elected to that post in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Hocog</span> Northern Marianan politician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Northern Mariana Islands general election</span>

The 2018 Northern Mariana Islands general election were held on Tuesday, 13 November 2018. Originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 6 November 2018, to correspond with the 2018 United States midterm elections, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith DeLeon Guerrero</span> American politician

Edith E. DeLeon Guerrero is an American politician serving as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate for the 3rd district. Elected in November 2020, she assumed office on January 11, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Northern Mariana Islands general election</span>

The 2001 Northern Mariana Islands general election was held on Saturday, 3 November 2001, electing the governor and members to the legislature. The 2001 elections marked the last general election that the dissolved Reform Party, which merged back into the Democratic Party in 2002, would appear on the ballot. Despite the economic hardships experienced under Pedro Pangelinan Tenorio's Administration, the apparent strength the 1999 general elections signaled that the Democratic Party and its splinter Reform Party had, and the newly formed Covenant Party which was formed as a splinter party from the ruling Republican Party, Republican candidate Juan Nekai Babauta won with a landslide in the four-way race. Benigno Repeki Fitial's newly formed Covenant Party landed a distant yet sizable second place. Jesus Borja of the Democratic Party won a distant third and Froilan Tenorio of the Reform Party placed fourth.

References

  1. ↑ "Tenorio returns to Democratic Party". Marianas Variety News & Views. 2002-06-13. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  2. ↑ "Flashback November 03, 2000-2003". Saipan Tribune. 2006-11-03. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  3. ↑ "Republican Party gets Commonwealth-wide recognition". Saipan Tribune. July 28, 2004. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Variations: The price of hubris". Marianas Variety News & Views. 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  5. ↑ "VIDEO: CNMI Governor Eloy Inos Returns to GOP Fold". PNC Saipan Correspondent Mark Rabago. 20 September 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Erediano, Emmanuel T. (March 13, 2014). "Borja says he'll reorganize Tinian GOP". Marianas Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ "NMI Democrats win 8 House seats, Saipan Senate race". Marianas Variety News & Views. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  8. ↑ Willhermosa, Cherrie Anne E. (March 29, 2016). "Local GOP doesn't want to be involved in national debates". Marianas Variety. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  9. ↑ Daleno, Gaynor Dumat-ol (2016-10-02). "Federal judge shoots down CNMI gun restrictions". guampdn.com. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  10. ↑ Reporter, Dennis B. Chan | (2016-04-18). "Administration defends new gun law". Saipan Tribune. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  11. 1 2 Angell, Tom. "Governor Signs Marijuana Legalization Bill, Making History In US Territory". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
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