By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
CNMI Labor Secretary Leila Staffler said she will run for the Precinct 5 seat in the House of Representatives in the 2026 general election under the Democratic Party.
Staffler previously represented Precinct 5 before stepping down to be the running mate of former Rep. Tina Sablan in the 2022 gubernatorial election. They finished third in the general election but later endorsed the Independent team of then-Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and then-Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, who went on to win the runoff. Following their victory, the new administration appointed Staffler as secretary of Labor.
In a recent interview, Staffler said her decision to seek a House seat again is driven by a desire to reengage in the budget and appropriations process, which she described as central to addressing long-standing funding gaps across government programs.
“I wanted to run for the House again because there are many ideas I’ve developed over the years related to revenue-generating and appropriation bills,” she said. “A lot of things are underfunded, and I want to help reprioritize what limited government resources we have toward what’s most important to our community.”
She said the House remains the most logical place to influence the budget.
“I want to be involved in the budget process, and that starts in the House,” she said. “So it made the most sense for me.”
Staffler said the timing also felt right given the number of lawmakers not seeking reelection to pursue other opportunities.
“With so many people leaving the House, I thought it would be a good time to return and be part of whatever new leadership comes in,” she said. “Hopefully, I’ll have that opportunity if people give me that chance again.”
She said she hopes to revive programs she launched during her previous term and emphasized her commitment to transparency, noting her past practice of holding quarterly town halls to report on district spending.
“I always held quarterly town halls to report on how district funds were spent,” she said. “Transparency has always been important to me, and I promise to continue that practice.”
If elected, Staffler said she plans to focus on food security, economic diversification, and workforce development.
“Food security is very important to me,” she said. “Economic diversification goes hand in hand with workforce development.”
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
