But he says it’s not the end of the road yet for his political career as he plans to run as their island’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives — in the future.
Camacho, a Republican, is barred from immediately seeking a third term in this year’s Guam gubernatorial election.
“I am term limited. I will never run again for the Guam Legislature. I will never run again for governor of Guam,” Camacho told the Variety in an interview. “My philosophy is there are other leaders that must be raised up. We must all do what we can to mentor them and hold up their reigns.”
Camacho first won a seat in the Guam Legislature in 1992 and served as senator for four terms.
In 1998, he was the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Joseph F. Ada, who was seeking a third term, but they lost in a close election against then-incumbent Democratic Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez.
In 2002, Camacho launched his gubernatorial bid and defeated then-Congressman Robert Underwood.
Camacho was re-elected in 2006, once again beating Underwood in a close race.
“I need to refresh myself,” the governor said.
“I also believe that it’s necessary to get a proper perspective from the outside looking in before I would consider pursuing another role in politics,” he added.
The 53-year-old Guam governor said he intends to work in the private sector while weighing his next political move.
“Politically, I believe someday I will consider running for the U.S. House of Representatives. But I think every leader needs to take a break after having been immersed in the leadership for a long sustained period of time,” he said.
“The final step for me is to run for the U.S. Congress but that would be sometime in the future,” he added.
