Republicans name 17 of 24 candidates at fundraiser

The CNMI Republican Party named at yesterday’s fundraiser 17 of the total 24 candidates they are fielding for the Nov. 6 midterm elections, including a delegate bet that Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said they will announce at a later time.

The 17 include five House candidates for Precinct 1, two for Precinct 2, three for Precinct 3, two for Precinct 4, two for Precinct 5, as well as three Senate candidates for Saipan, Tinian and Rota.

“We will have a delegate candidate that will be announced at a later date because we want to choose the best. We have a short list, which means we have a better [candidate] than what we have now,” Fitial told reporters, referring to incumbent Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP), who has already announced plans to run for the post again.

Fitial, president of the CNMI Republican Party, called on Republicans to rally behind the candidates during yesterday afternoon’s fundraiser at the Garapan Fishing Base.

The governor said they will also announce at a later time their Rota and Tinian candidates for the House, along with the remaining candidates for Precincts 1 and 3 on Saipan.

The five of six House Republican candidates for Precinct 1 include incumbents Speaker Eli Cabrera and Rep. Joseph Palacios, as well as former representative Ramon Dela Cruz, Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Richard Seman and Jose Limes. A sixth candidate has yet to confirm a willingness to run.

On Precinct 2, the two confirmed Republican candidates are Danny Aquino and Liana Hofschneider.

On Precinct 3, three of the six Republican candidates were confirmed yesterday. They include incumbent Vice Speaker Felicidad Ogumoro, as well as Roy Rios and Ralph Yumul. The latter was not present at the event yesterday. Ogumoro previously ran under the Covenant Party.

Fitial said there are more than three individuals vying for the last three remaining seats for Precinct 1, and he leaves it up to the precinct level to choose among these individuals. “They are all very good [potential] candidates,” Fitial said.

For Precinct 4, the Republican candidates are incumbents: floor leader George Camacho and Rep. Sylvester Iguel. Camacho previously ran as an independent, while Iguel is a former Covenant member. Iguel was not at the fundraiser yesterday.

Precinct 5 also has two Republican candidates who are also sitting lawmakers: Rep. Ray Basa and Rep. Fred Deleon Guerrero. Basa is a former Covenant, while Deleon Guerrero is a former independent.

The three Republican candidates for the Senate are incumbent Sen. Luis Crisostimo for Saipan who is soon to return to the CNMI after months of treatment in the U.S.; incumbent Sen. Henry H. San Nicolas of Tinian, and Victor Hocog of Rota. Crisostimo used to be a Democrat and then as an independent, while San Nicolas is a former Covenant. Hocog is a former representative from Rota.

While the candidates for Precincts 1 to 5 were announced on stage by their respective precinct chairmen, the three Saipan, Tinian and Rota Republican bets for the Senate were announced by Fitial.

Former governor and now Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Juan N. Babauta and acting Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Arnold Palacios, a former speaker, also called on Republicans to unite.

Just like Fitial, they talked about the importance of a strengthening ties with the U.S. Republicans, especially because they see that the U.S. Senate, just like the U.S. House, will soon become a Republican majority. They also believe that a Republican will become the next U.S. president. In this context, they said it would be best to have a CNMI delegate who is a Republican.

Fitial, in his speech, reminded Republicans of a March 10 caucus wherein Republicans here will select six of the nine delegates to the national convention in Tampa, Florida in August. In the Aug. 27 to 30 Republican National Convention, Republican delegates will choose the Republican presidential candidate to challenge President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

The CNMI and other U.S. territories have nine delegates each to the national Republican convention.

Of the nine delegates from the CNMI, the six will be chosen on March 10 while the three are the existing officers: Fitial as president of the CNMI Republican Party, national committeeman Roman “Bo” Palacios, and national committeewoman Viola Alepuyo.

Fitial said yesterday’s fundraiser was also intended to come up with the money for the travel of the CNMI delegates to the national convention.

Fitial founded and headed the CNMI Republican Party but split and formed his own Covenant Party for his gubernatorial bids in 2001 and 2005. Fitial went back to the Republican Party in January 2011, and called on other Covenant Party members to follow him. In November 2011, Fitial once again became the Republican party’s president following amendments to party bylaws that allowed a sitting elected official to become party president or officer.

Some Covenant Party members remained with the Covenant Party, while some long-time Republicans who didn’t want the current GOP leadership said that they will run as independents in the Nov. 6 midterm elections.