Yesterday was the last day to file candidacies.
Seven are running as Independent candidates. The Republican and Democratic parties each have a candidate. The ruling Covenant Party has none.
The nine candidates are Public Lands mining division chief and TV talk show host John DLR. Gonzales, Ind.; former Judge Juan T. Lizama, Ind.; businessman Chong Won, Ind.; former Tinian Sen. David Cing, Democrat; on-leave Election Commission Executive Director Gregorio C. Sablan, Ind.; Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio, Republican; Sen. Luis Crisostimo, Ind.; high school teacher John Davis, Ind.; and Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council member Felipe Atalig, Ind.
Gonzales and Lizama have been affiliated with the GOP, while Atalig remains a party member.
Sablan is a former Democratic House member.
Crisostimo says he’s still a Democrat.
Tenorio, a former two-term lt. governor and Covenant negotiator, described the delegate election as “interesting” and tough.
“This race has a multitude of candidates and I feel that the important thing for the people to consider is the experience of a person.”
He added, “We can’t tell who is going to win.”
Acting Commission Executive Director Julita Villagomez said each of the nine candidates must submit at least 200 valid signatures of voters supporting their candidacies.
The commission must certify each candidate by Sept. 20.
Gonzales, who was the first to file his candidacy, said he’s probably the only one in the race without a vested interest.
He vowed to work for the good of the common people if elected as the CNMI’s first delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Lizama, a private attorney before he was appointed judge, is banking on his legal expertise and negotiating skills.
His campaign manager, former Sen. Ramon Guerrero, said Lizama is the only candidate with skills that will be very useful in pushing issues favoring the CNMI in the U.S. Congress.
Won, for his part, said he decided to run because the situation on the islands calls for change.
“I’m not a politician. I’m just like everybody else. We need change,” said the 37-year-old businessman from Korea who migrated to Saipan in 1997.
Crisostimo said he will use his entrepreneurial skills and legislative experience to secure the federal assistance that the CNMI needs.
He said the CNMI’s economy has gone from bad to worse and a good working relationship with the federal government will help alleviate the economic woes of the people.
Cing said education, the economy, the power crisis, among other issues, must be addressed and he believes his experience as a public servant will help the islands in Washington, D.C.
Sablan is running on a platform based on the “three P’s”: “One Path. One People. One Promise.”
Atalig said he will “defend and protect the indigenous people’s rights.” (See story on page 9).
Vietnam War veteran and high school teacher John Davis wants to see a more self-sufficient CNMI.
The CNMI delegate to the U.S. Congress, like other U.S. lawmakers, will be paid close to $170,000 a year.
In addition, his office will get an annual budget of $1 million.
Delegates can introduce bills and participate in committee deliberations but they are not allowed to vote on the floor.
