It’s a landslide for BB tandem

Resident Representative to the United States Juan N. Babauta and running-mate Rep. Diego T. Benavente won by a landslide in the open primary conducted last Saturday by the Republican Party.

Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan and running-mate Senate Vice President Thomas P. Villagomez immediately conceded defeat after their opponents slowly edged out and eventually led with a margin of 1,199 votes.

Based on unofficial results, Babauta-Benavente garnered 5,419 votes, while Pepero-Kiyu got 4,220. The winning team won in almost all the polling precincts on Saipan. It also took Rota, but lost to the other camp on Tinian.

With the victory, they now get official endorsement by the GOP in next year’s gubernatorial election. They are expected to square off with Democrats’ bet, former Lt. Gov. Jesus C. Borja, and Reform Party stalwart former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio, and their respective running-mates in the November 2001 polls.

Mr. Babauta, a former senator before being elected to the Washington post, and Mr. Benavente, a three-time House speaker, thanked their supporters who gathered Saturday evening at their campaign headquarters in Gualo Rai.

Supporters, dozens of them wearing yellow shirts — their campaign color –, broke into applause and chanted “B-B” several times as the two took the microphones to speak after it was apparent they had won the primary.

They later shook hands and exchanged hugs with hordes of people who came to congratulate them. The crowd thinned only just before midnight.

The party mood at the Babauta-Benavente camp was a direct contrast to the atmosphere at the Pepero-Kiyu headquarters at the Joeten Compound in Dandan where supporters cast a gloom over the clear upset.

Mr. Sablan and Mr. Villagomez, who wore their campaign color of red, conceded defeat even before tallying of the votes was finished.

In their speech, they acknowledged the efforts put in by their supporters to the campaign, saying they would abide by the decision of the people and honor their promise to give way to the winning tandem.

More than 10,000 out of the over 13,000 eligible voters in the CNMI trooped to the polls on Saturday, a big chunk of whom cast their ballots early in the day after voting opened at 7:00 a.m.

Supporters gathered outside the polling places, waving banners of their respective bets, while some of the voters honked their cars to show support.

The high voting turnout pleased Republican leaders, but political observers believed some of the voters from the Democrats and Reform Party came out as well to join in the fray.

Poll workers and police said voting went without hitches and was generally peaceful despite the rabid show of support from each of the camp.

Ballots were transported to the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Hall in Susupe immediately after the voting closed at 6:00 p.m.

Tallying of the votes was completed in about five hours, with the results of the primary on Rota and Tinian being the first to be announced by the party.

Meanwhile, the next open primary will be held by the Democratic Party on Dec. 2 for the Saipan mayoralty seat which is being contested by three aspirants — Rep. Antonio M. Camacho, former congressman Juan B. Tudela and CUC Board Chair Jesus T. Guerrero.