Former Gov. Juan N. Babauta and Board of Education member Galvin S. Deleon Guerrero reiterated their commitment to maintain party unity and quickly conceded the election on Saturday evening to Rep. Heinz S. Hofschneider and Speaker Arnold I. Palacios.
The Heinz-Arnold team garnered 3,382 votes, or 53 percent of the total, while the Juan-Galvin tandem received 2,986.
The tallying of the ballots took less than an hour.
In a press briefing after the counting of the votes at the multi-purpose center, GOP Chairman Ed Tenorio said more than half or 58 percent of the 11,000 ballots they printed for the primary were cast by registered voters in all eight election precincts.
Some believe that the turnout could have been higher if not for the ruling Covenant Party’s “advisory” to its members to “respect the GOP primary process and allow Republicans to choose the candidates of their choice.”
Some voters, most of whom are government employees, believed that this was a “warning” from an administration that is known to terminate employees with questionable political loyalties.
But the turnout on Saturday showed that the Republican Party is strong, said Edward M. Deleon Guerrero, chairman of the Committee to Elect Juan-Galvin.
After the results were announced, Babauta reminded his supporters about their unity pledge.
He congratulated Hofschneider and Palacios for winning by a “sizable margin,” saying that “the people have spoken.”
He added, “I will support the candidacy of Heinz and Arnold in the November elections and I ask my supporters to do just that.”
According to Babauta, he wants the Republican Party to win the general elections.
Shortly afterward, Hofschneider and Palacios arrived at the Juan-Galvin headquarters where the rivals, including Rep. Diego T. Benavente, embraced each other.
Crucial role
In a separate interview, Hofschneider said the Juan-Galvin team will play a key role in ensuring the GOP’s victory in November.
“They are a crucial part of the campaign toward November,” he said.
Hofschneider expressed his appreciation for the Juan-Galvin team.
For his part, Palacios said he was very humbled by the results.
“At the end of the day,” he added, “the GOP came together. I know John is a gentleman, an honorable man, and so is Galvin.”
Hofschneider noted that over 6,000 voters — more than half of the electorate — participated in the primary.
“And I think the message is very clear, that regardless of party affiliation 6,368 people came out to cast their vote,” he said
“I’m thankful to the people who voted for me and Arnold,” he added.
Hofschneider said there is very little difference between his and Babauta’s platforms, which will now be merged.
“Our goal is real change, and it is clear that the people are no longer willing to endure economic hardship for another four years,” he added.
