GOVERNOR Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres on Thursday announced that he will seek a second term in the Nov. 2022 elections.
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and first lady Diann T. Torres pose for a photo with their children.
He said a separate announcement will be made regarding his running-mate at a later date.
Torres, who will be 42 in August, became the CNMI’s youngest governor on Dec. 29, 2015 upon the death of Gov. Eloy S. Inos. Torres was Inos’s lt. governor.
In 2018, with running-mate Arnold I. Palacios, Torres was elected governor, winning 62% of the votes cast.
Torres said he is running again because he believes that the people of the CNMI want to see the Commonwealth continue moving toward recovery and prosperity.
“We have come too far to abandon the progress we made in the face of unprecedented disasters for our islands and our world,” he said in a statement.
“Before Yutu, Mangkhut, and the pandemic, we had a strong economy built on sound and thoughtful policies that prioritized the creation of jobs for everyone on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. We were reducing our deficits, paying longstanding obligations, and helping our business community develop new opportunities for entrepreneurs to reach their dreams, and we were just getting started.”
Torres added, “Nothing could have prepared us for what was to happen last year as every economy in the world was down and people were losing loved ones to a deadly virus. But despite the challenges, I made sure that we kept the CNMI safe by making decisions to protect our loved ones, our manamko’, our people with chronic diseases, and our manhoben. By being proactive, the CNMI is one of the safest places in the world from the pandemic, and we will be among the first Pacific Island areas to bring tourism back, which brings back businesses and jobs for our people.”
Torres said in his conversations with people and families in the villages, “I heard the stories of pain and uncertainty because of the global economic crisis. As governor, I feel that pain every day, and it encourages me to work harder for our people.”
Torres said “in going through this most challenging period of our existence, I am inspired by the resiliency of our people to weather the difficulties and challenges as one strong Marianas. We have secured federal funding and signed agreements to slowly reopen our economy. With the support of all our partners and stakeholders, including the federal government, I am encouraged by the overwhelming support with our work to get the CNMI back on its feet.”
Torres said his “desire to seek a second term is driven by everyone in the Marianas. In a community like ours, what happens to some of us happens to all of us, so we join together with compassion, and determination to build a community stronger than we have ever been before. We have to move forward to the future we had planned right before the typhoons and pandemic. It is a future where our community is thriving, our students are succeeding and coming home to serve, our manamko’ are cared for, and our villages are safe for our kids to grow and become leaders one day.”
“We will always and forever be Marianas Strong. Un familia, Un Guinaiya, Tipiyeew,” he added.
Many believe that U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, who caucuses with U.S. Democrats, will be the Republican governor’s likely opponent in next year’s elections.
