He edged Democratic Sen. Luis P. Crisostimo, who was backed by the ruling Covenant Party, by just one vote — 11 to 10 — when the results of the secret ballot were revealed yesterday.
The organizational session was postponed last week after the Covenant Party members did not show up because they were outnumbered by the Republicans.
Speaker Froilan C. Tenorio, Covenant-Saipan, said he was surprised by the result because the Saipan Independents were supposedly aligned with the ruling party.
The delegation has 21 members — 10 Republicans, 7 Covenant, 3 Independents and 1 Democrat.
Nonetheless, Tenorio extended his congratulations to Tebuteb.
Tebuteb said he doesn’t view his election as a victory for the GOP as he wants to work with every member regardless of their party affiliations.
He believes, however, that the Covenant boycott last week created a negative impression.
“In a way, that was a blessing in disguise. In the end, we sent out a message that we don’t want a delay in the process,” he said.
The delegation acts on bills, including spending measures, that affect Saipan and the Northern Islands only.
