REPRESENTATIVE Tina Sablan wants to be the NMI Democratic Party’s gubernatorial nominee in next year’s elections.
A copy of her letter of intent to the party was leaked to the community after she submitted it Sunday night. The deadline was on Monday.
NMI Democratic Party Chair Nola Hix said Sablan and four other individuals have submitted letters of intent.
“In the spirit of good sportsmanship — due to the fact that only one candidate would be selected by the party — it was agreed that all names would remain confidential,” Hix said.
She added that the party will announce its 2022 general election slate on Citizenship Day, Nov. 4.
Sablan, who is serving her second consecutive term as Precinct 2 representative, also served as Precinct 1 representative in the 16th Legislature.
In her letter of intent, Sablan said she has spent “the better part of my adult life advocating and fighting for good governance in the Commonwealth — as a legislator, as a journalist, as a citizen and daughter of the Marianas.”
She added, “I am proud of our collective efforts to reorganize and mobilize the Democratic Party, and to push constantly for a government that is fair, ethical, responsive, and accountable to the people it serves. I am fully committed to the vision, laid out in our Democratic Party platform, of a ‘safe, just, healthy, and beautiful Commonwealth, where the rule of law prevails, prosperity is shared, and economic development raises quality of life for all.’ And I am ready and willing to help lead our people to a more hopeful and equitable future, as their governor and faithful public servant.”
Sablan, 40, rose to prominence in 2005-2007 as one of the leaders of the Beautify CNMI coalition, which spearheaded islandwide cleanups.
She has a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a bachelor of science degree in conservation science from the College of Santa Fe where she graduated summa cum laude.
She previously held the position of waste reduction and recycling coordinator of the Division of Environmental Quality and served as program manager of the Commonwealth Cancer Association before becoming a news reporter and anchor for KSPN2.
She is also a former staff member of the CNMI office of U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan.
Tina Sablan
