U.S. congressional candidate James M. Rayphand, right standing, shakes hands with Commonwealth Election Commission Executive Director Kayla Igitol. Also in photo is his treasurer, John Cabrera. Not in photo: Monissalyn I. Blas, the campaign chair.
OFFICE of Vocational Rehabilitation Director James “Jim” M. Rayphand is running for the U.S. Congress as an independent candidate.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang have already endorsed the candidacy of Democrat Edwin Propst, but Rayphand hopes they will change their minds.
A former educator and executive director of the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc., Rayphand was appointed by the governor as OVR director last year.
In an interview on Wednesday, Rayphand said, “Sounds a little ridiculous to say, but I did not consider the politics of my position with this administration in my segue into politics.”
He added, “I suppose, to the governor’s and lt. governor’s credit, I never felt like a political appointee. I’ve never once been made to feel or see any sort of political interference in our efforts at OVR.”
Rayphand said it was only “in retrospect that I’ve begun to consider the position I’ve put them in, having one of their own cabinet members opposing their candidate of choice — bear in mind, I am not a politician. All that said, I’ve made no secret of my hope to change their minds on who to endorse and vote for. I don’t expect that, of course, but one can dream.”
The other candidates running for U.S. delegate this year are Republican Kimberlyn King-Hinds, a lawyer and former Commonwealth Ports Authority board chair; freelance business consultant and grants writer John Oliver Delos Reyes Bolis Gonzales, independent; and Chamorro activist Liana S. Hofschneider, independent.
The incumbent congressman, Democrat Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, is not seeking a ninth term and has instead endorsed Propst’s candidacy.
