The 2022 Northern Mariana gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022 to elect the

governor of the Northern Mariana Islands The following is a list of persons who served as governor of Northern Mariana Islands. The term of office is 4 years. The longest-serving governors in CNMI history are Pedro Tenorio, who served 12 years in office from 1982 to 1990 and from 1998 ...

and the

lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has a self-governing government consisting of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. Incumbent Governor Eloy S. Inos died ...

to a four-year term in office. Because no candidate received 50% of the vote in the general election, the two highest-placing candidates advanced to a runoff election on November 25, 2022. Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Ralph Torres Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres (born August 6, 1979) is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since December 29, 2015. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern M ...

ran for re-election to a second full term in office with territorial senator Vinnie Sablan as his running mate. Lieutenant Governor

Arnold Palacios Arnold Indalecio Palacios is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the 12th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since January 14, 2019. He previously represented Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. Formerly ...

, a career Republican, also contested the seat, running as an independent with Saipan mayor

David Apatang David Mundo Apatang (born July 10, 1948) is a Northern Mariana Islander politician who is serving as the 13th lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands since 2023. He previously served as the mayor of Saipan from January 12, 2015 to Jan ...

as his running mate. Democratic nominee

Tina Sablan Christina Marie Elise Sablan (born May 18, 1981), also known as Tina Sablan, is a Northern Marianan politician and former news anchor in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). A member of the Democratic Party, Sablan is a member ...

, a member of the

Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

, is the first woman to be nominated for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. She chose fellow territorial representative

Leila Staffler Leila Haveia Fleming Clark Staffler is an American politician and educator who served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives for the 5th district. Staffler is the Secretary of Labor under Governor Arnold Palacios. S ...

as her running mate. In the general election, Torres came in first with 38.8% of the vote, followed by Palacios at 32.2% and Sablan at 28.0%. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff between Torres and Palacios was held on November 25, 2022. Sablan and Staffler endorsed Palacios in the runoff, and Palacios and Apatang signed a "unity pledge" with them promising action on several policy issues, including health care, labor, and infrastructure. Palacios and Apatang won the runoff election with 54% of the vote to 46% for Torres and Sablan. Palacios was the first independent elected Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and the first independent to win a gubernatorial election in any U.S. state or territory since 2014.

Background

Torres has been under investigation for misusing public funds since 2019. On January 12, 2022, the

voted to

impeach Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

Torres on charges of theft and corruption. A two-thirds majority vote in the

Northern Mariana Islands Senate The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts (Saipan & the Northern Islands, Tinian & Aguijan, and ...

was required to remove the governor from office. The Senate acquitted Torres on May 18 in a 3–4

party-line vote A party-line vote in a deliberative assembly (such as a constituent assembly, parliament, or legislature) is a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way (usually in opposition to the other political ...

with two senators absent. However, Torres still faced criminal charges brought against him by Attorney General

Edward Manibusan Edward Eladio Manibusan is a Northern Marianan politician serving as the Attorney General of the Northern Mariana Islands since January 12, 2015 and previously from July 1, 1989 to January 8, 1990. He is the first elected attorney general; previo ...

. His trial was set for July 5, 2022, but was delayed several times and will not take place until after the November election. Manibusan was reelected in the 2022 election.

Candidates

Republican Party

Declared

, incumbent governor **Running mate: Vinnie Sablan,

floor leader In politics, floor leaders, also known as a caucus leader, are leaders of their respective political party in a body of a legislature. Philippines In the Philippines each body of the bicameral Congress has a majority floor leader and a minor ...

of the

Declined

Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has a self-governing government consisting of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. Incumbent Governor Eloy S. Inos died ...

''(running as an independent)''

Democratic Party

Declared

, territorial representative (endorsed by

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

) **Running mate:

, territorial representative

Declined

* Edith Deleon Guerrero, territorial senator

Independents

On October 22, 2021, Palacios and Apatang announced they were leaving the Republican Party and would run as an Independent ticket.

Declared

**Running mate:

, mayor of Saipan and former territorial representative

Declined

Gregorio Sablan Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (born January 19, 1955) is a Northern Mariana Islander politician and former election commissioner. Elected in 2008, Sablan became the first delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Commonw ...

, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives ''( running for re-election, endorsed Tina Sablan)''

Endorsements

Results

Notes

References

{{Northern Mariana Islands elections 2022 Northern Mariana Islands elections

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...

2022 in the Northern Mariana Islands