Kilili: Higher turnout improves chances of winning a 4th term

Incumbent Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan hopes that voters came out in record numbers yesterday during the 2014 general elections, believing that a higher voter turnout boosts his chances of getting re-elected to a fourth term in the U.S. Congress.

“We never take anything for granted. …I think the higher the number of voters, the turnout, my chances improve with that. I would like to thank the people of the Northern Marianas for giving me their trust for the past six years and I hope that this election they will once again give me their trust to serve [in] Congress for a fourth term,” he told reporters shortly after casting his vote at the Garapan Elementary School yesterday morning.

Sablan, who was accompanied to Election Precinct 3B by his wife, Andrea, said if he’s fortunate enough to land a fourth term he will continue his promise to serve “all” the people of the CNMI.

“The only promise I make to the people is I will always work hard for all of us. That gets me in trouble with some of our people here because some people expect that I should only work for a certain segment of the community. But when I raise my right hand and take my oath on the Holy Book that Bishop [Tomas] Camacho gave me, [that’s the promise I make and] so I take my oath seriously. My oath is I will work for all the people and not only for just a few.”

Sablan said it’s been a wonderful six years and he hope to continue to work for the next two years to help improve the lives of the people of the islands.

And no work is more pressing than CNMI immigration legislation currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“We have legislation in four different forms going. We just need to get in the schedule but again it’s something that’s time-critical. That’s the one that extends E2C investors, extends the ban of asylum seekers here, and continue H visa cap exemptions.”

With Congress having only a few days before sine die, getting the bills on calendar is difficult, Sablan said.

“That’s something we need to extend for another five years. We’re trying to gain a spot on the schedule but it’s not easy. Of course it doesn’t mean if it’s difficult were not going to give it our best try.”

On the possibility of the Republican Party gaining control of the U.S. Senate, Sablan said he doesn’t foresee any problems.

“I don’t have a problem. I’m always careful with my relationships. I’ve always been able to work very closely with members from the other aisle. One our best friends in the U.S. Senate happens to be the great senator from the state of Alaska, Ms. [Lisa] Murkowski. She is not only a friend to me personally but she is also a friend of the Northern Marianas,” said Sablan, who caucuses with House Democrats.

The three-term CNMI delegate is running against CNM Democratic Party candidate Andrew Salas in this election. Salas is a former CNMI House representative and ex-Commerce secretary.