Kimberlyn King-Hinds announces her candidacy for U.S. Congress at the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe on Thursday morning.
ATTORNEY Kimberlyn King-Hinds of Tinian officially launched her candidacy for the U.S. Congress at the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe on Thursday morning.
Her mother, Serafina King-Nabors, one of the two women elected to the first CNMI House of Representatives in 1977, described her daughter as “always having a big heart, and always wanting to make a difference in people’s lives.”
“I’ve always been proud of her tenacity and determination,” King-Nabors added.
“Kim’s adult life can be summarized in three words: service, determination, and resiliency,” she said.
“She doesn’t shy away from standing on what she believes in, even if it’s an uphill battle,” King-Hinds’ mother said.
In her remarks, King-Hinds said: “I have seen the strength of our community. It was here that we secured our place in the American community, it was here that we fought for our rights to self-government, it was here that we stood firm against both internal and external threats like natural disaster, pandemics, uneven and damaging federal policies, and it is here that we stand, ready to fight for our place in this world.”
She added, “I stand before you today, ready for this fight, ready to serve you, and ready to work for the opportunities, rights, freedom, and possibilities of our people. I am here to put my name forward to be your next delegate to the United States House of Representatives.”
King-Hinds said she realizes that it’s not going to be easy. “I’m already hearing it … she’s from Tinian. She never served in the legislature. I get that,” she said.
“Frankly, nothing in my life has been easy. I’ve had to cross picket lines and endure harassment to work as a checker at Safeway so I can put food on the table. I’ve worked as a nanny and cleaned houses to save money so I can go back to college. I’ve fought against Department of Defense to stop them from bombing Tinian and Pagan, and — for what seems like a lifetime — I’ve been fighting against one-size-fits-all federal policies that may work in California but does not work for the people here in the Commonwealth.
“I say all that to say I am not afraid of hard work. In my mother (Serafina King-Nabors) and Auntie Daling (former Rep. Felicidad Ogumuro), I have learned that in every impossible situation, I am possible. And I’ve learned from my dad that [it] is a moral obligation to take care of people who need help; to be your brother’s keeper. And I am ready to make my pitch to the people of this Commonwealth, to tell them who I am and to ask for everyone’s faith that I will fight for all of us with all that I am,” King-Hinds said.
She said she has never aspired to be a politician, “and I do not think of myself as one today. I’m just a woman who grew up being told to go to school, get educated, to never forget where I come from, and more importantly to come back and be a part of helping our community. I’ve been back. I’ve been doing my part. And it’s time for me to level up and give the best of who I am to the people and these islands that I love deeply.”
King-Hinds noted the CNMI founding fathers’ efforts in securing an agreement with the U.S. through the Covenant, which paved the way for the Commonwealth to achieve “progressively higher standards of living for its people as part of the American economic community.”
“We stand on the shoulders of honorable men who championed this cause,” she added. “The public servants who have navigated through the waters of Washington as our Washington representative, refining our voice, justifying our existence. These men walked the path, and Congressman Gregorio Kilili Sablan, our first delegate opened the door and opportunities, to bring us closer to achieving our rights as Americans to have an equal voice in the decisions of our country.”
Kilili, the incumbent delegate, has announced that he will not seek a ninth term.
King-Hinds said: “It is our time, today, right now, for a new generation to level up — to step through that door that’s been opened for us, to bring our strengths and our hearts to fight for who we are, and for our place in this world.”
She added, “Join me in this fight to make sure that every person, young or old, can build a life here at home. Join me in the faith that the forefathers of [the] Covenant had in ourselves; that we are worthy, we are capable, and we are unstoppable in our determination to build a Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands that we can all be proud of. So, level up with me CNMI. I love you so much, let’s do this!”
Among those who attended King-Hinds’ announcement were family members, friends, and Republican Party officials and members.
King-Hinds is seeking the local GOP’s nomination.
