Independents poised to retain House majority, Republicans to control Senate

Independents are poised to retain their majority in the House of Representatives, while Republicans appear headed for control of the Senate, according to unofficial results of the Nov. 3 general elections released by the Commonwealth Election Commission.

Based on the latest unofficial standings, independents occupy 14 of the 20 House seats, compared to five for Republicans and one for Democrats.

In the nine-member Senate, Republicans are positioned to hold five seats, with Democrats and independents accounting for two each.

Unlike the House, where all 20 seats were contested, only six of the Senate's nine seats were up for grabs Tuesday, with two seats each on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. Three senators will continue serving their existing terms.

The three holdover senators are Republican Senate President Karl King-Nabors of Tinian, Democratic Sen. Manny Gregory Castro of Saipan, and independent Sen. Ronnie Calvo of Rota.

With the unofficial results placing four Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent in the six contested Senate seats, Republicans would have the five seats needed for a majority in the upper chamber.

On Rota, independent incumbent Sen. Donald Manglona leads the Senate race with 858 votes, followed by Republican Tito Hocog II with 773 and independent Robert Myers Jr. with 410.

With two seats available, Manglona and Hocog occupy the winning positions based on the unofficial results. They would join Calvo, giving Rota two independent senators and one Republican in the next Legislature.

On Saipan, Republican Vinnie Sablan leads the Senate race with 5,569 votes, followed by incumbent Democrat Celina Babauta with 4,656 votes. The two occupy the available seats based on the unofficial results.

Republican Marco Peter is third with 3,135 votes, followed by incumbent independent Corina Magofna with 2,455, independent Vicente Camacho with 1,536, independent Crispin Sablan with 1,375, and independent Edwin Quitugua with 706.

Sablan and Babauta would join Castro, whose Senate term continues beyond this election.

On Tinian, incumbent Republican Sens. Frank Cruz and Jude Hofschneider received 892 and 806 votes, respectively, in their uncontested reelection bids.

They would continue serving alongside King-Nabors, giving Republicans all three of Tinian's Senate seats.

The resulting Senate would comprise five Republicans, two Democrats, and two independents, giving the GOP a numerical majority in the nine-member chamber.

In the House, meanwhile, independents are positioned to maintain a comfortable majority, occupying 14 of the 20 available seats across the seven election precincts.

In Precinct 1, where six seats are available, Republican incumbent Roy Ada leads with 1,736 votes, followed by independent incumbents Vincent "Kobre" Aldan with 1,656, Diego Camacho with 1,602, Janet Maratita with 1,513, Raymond Palacios with 1,493, and Joseph Flores with 1,437.

Independent incumbent Roman Benavente is just four votes behind Flores with 1,433, making the contest for the sixth seat one of the closest legislative races.

In Precinct 2, independent incumbents John Paul “JP” Sablan and Daniel Aquino Jr. lead with 670 and 606 votes, respectively, against Republican Keith Ada's 369 votes. Two seats are available.

In Precinct 3, where six seats are available, independent incumbent Marissa Flores leads with 1,541 votes, followed by fellow independents Elias Rangamar with 1,378 and Ralph Yumul with 1,353.

Republicans Edward Arriola Jr. and Andrew Orsini occupy the fourth and fifth positions with 1,223 and 1,200 votes, respectively, while independent Steve Jang holds the sixth position with 1,199 votes.

Republican Yvette Sablan is seventh with 1,102 votes.

In Precinct 4, Republican James Benjamin leads with 849 votes, followed by independent incumbent Joel Camacho with 772 and Republican incumbent Malcom Omar with 605. Two seats are available.

In Precinct 5, Democratic incumbent Leila Staffler leads with 1,344 votes, followed by independent incumbent Angelo Camacho with 958.

Republican Ted Deleon Guerrero received 646 votes, while Democrat Peter Muna garnered 628. Two seats are available.

On Tinian, Republican Joseph Santos received 909 votes in the uncontested Precinct 6 House race, while independent incumbent Julie Ogo garnered 962 votes in the uncontested Precinct 7 election on Rota.

Based on the unofficial standings, the incoming House would comprise 14 independents, five Republicans, and one Democrat, giving independents more than the 11 seats required for a majority.

The election leaves several incumbents outside the winning positions, including Saipan Sen. Corina Magofna and Reps. Roman Benavente and Malcom Omar.

The CEC results remain unofficial and subject to verification and certification, particularly in closely contested House races where only a handful of votes separate candidates occupying the final available seats.