Young supporters of Speaker Edmund Villagomez ride on a truck in Garapan on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.
THE administration failed to secure the “grand prize” of the midterm election — the U.S. delegate seat — and was unable to seize control of the Senate, but its allies will maintain their majority in the House of Representatives.
Senate President Edith Deleon Guerrero, a Democrat who sought a second term as an independent, lost her Saipan seat to the administration candidate, Rep. Manny Gregory T. Castro.
On Rota, however, the administration hopeful, Sen. Paul A. Manglona, lost to a special education teacher, Ronnie M. Calvo, while on Tinian, Republican Sen. Karl King-Nabors ran unopposed.
As a result, the opposition will hold five of the nine seats in the next Senate. Rota Republican Sen. Dennis James Mendiola will be the next Senate president while the rest of the leadership will consist of Calvo, an independent, King-Nabors and two other Tinian Republicans: Jude Hofschneider and Frank Q. Cruz.
The outgoing Senate vice president, Donald Manglona, a Rota independent and an administration supporter, is also joining the new Senate leadership as Senate floor leader.
The other members of the incoming Senate besides Manny Gregory T. Castro are Corina Magofna and Celina R. Babauta, both are also from Saipan.
In the House of Representatives, Raymond Ulloa Palacios, who ran as independent, will fill the seat vacated by House Floor Leader Edwin Propst, who ran unsuccessfully against Tinian Republican Kimberlyn King-Hinds in the delegate race.
Precinct 3 Democratic Rep. Vicente C. Castro lost his seat to an independent candidate, Elias Rangamar, while Danny Aquino, the former head of the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs, defeated the governor’s special assistant for the Substance Abuse Addiction and Rehabilitation Program, Diego M. Sablan, in Precinct 2.
Rangamar and Aquino may join the new House minority bloc which will be comprised of Tinian Rep. Patrick San Nicolas who ran unopposed, Precinct 1’s Rep. Roy Ada and Rep. Joseph Flores, and Precinct 5’s Rep. Thomas John Manglona.
The administration allies will retain the House leadership with Precinct 3 independent Edmund S. Villagomez securing a third term as speaker.
The other members of the House leadership are Democrat Rep. Diego Vincent F. Camacho, who will be the new vice speaker; independent Rep. Roman C. Benavente; independent Rep. Vincent S. Aldan; independent Rep. John Paul Sablan; independent Rep. Blas Jonathan Attao; independent Rep. Ralph N. Yumul; independent Rep. Marissa Flores, who will be the new floor leader; Democrat Rep. Denita Yangemai; independent Rep. Joel Camacho; independent Rep. Malcolm Omar; independent Rep. Angelo Camacho; independent Rep.-elect Raymond Ulloa Palacios; and independent Rep. Julie Marie Ogo.
