GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres on Thursday said he will announce his new running mate this weekend.
He said Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios wants to focus on his health and family.
“The lieutenant governor and I have a great working relationship and will continue to have a great relationship,” Torres said. “He was the one who called me into his office last year prior to his departure for his health issues and told me to look for another partner for the upcoming general elections because he wanted to prioritize his health. He left, came back, and we continued to address all the issues in the CNMI, fulfilling our mandate.”
Torres added, “Along the way, we continue to have this conversation about me running and seeking reelection. On numerous occasions, he assured me that he would not be running against me.”
Torres said, in choosing someone else to be his new running mate, he “looked for an individual who, like the lieutenant governor, truly cares about the Commonwealth, about our people, and has a good track record in putting his time and effort, and someone who has worked across party lines in various issues, is well-respected in the community, is overall a good family man, and has good character.”
Asked about his administration, he said, “I’ve always cared for our community. I’ve always cared about our people. I have been very blessed that I have been given the opportunity to represent and work for our community amid a global pandemic. I hope that through this leadership we will continue to live in one of the safest places on Earth.”
Torres added, “Even through the Typhoon Mangkhut and Super Typhoon Yutu recovery efforts, we continued to be at the forefront as one of the safest places on Earth, prioritizing the health of our community. We are living in a very safe place and I hope that we will take that further and rebuild our economy.”
In 2007, the Republican Torres topped the Precinct 1 House election, and also finished first in the 2009 Saipan senatorial election.
In 2013, he became Senate president and was chosen by Gov. Eloy S. Inos to be his running mate in the 2014 elections, which they won by garnering over 57% of the valid votes cast in the runoff.
At the age of 39, Torres became the CNMI’s youngest governor in December 2015 when Inos passed away.
In the 2018 elections, Torres and his running mate, then-Senate President Arnold I. Palacios, won 62% of the valid votes cast — the most received by a gubernatorial tandem in Commonwealth history.
Ralph DLG Torres
