Republicans Make Electoral Gains Across US Pacific Territories

Kaya Selby
RNZ Pacific journalist

Republican candidates have
performed strongly in preliminary midterm
election results in American territories, despite the
expected anti-Trump swing on the mainland.

Republicans
have won back the governorship of Guam, with Vicente Ada
beating out Democrat Therese Terlaje 51 percent to 48
percent.

But they have lost their majority in the
local Guam Legislature, with the Democrats winning 8 out of
the 15, taking back the majority.

Congressional
representative James Moylan has lost to a Democrat, Alicia
Limtiaco.

Meanwhile in the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Republican candidate Ralph
Torres will face a runoff election in the next 14 days,
winning a plurality but not a majority against independent
challenger Blas Attao.

Republican Kimberly King-Hinds
is also returned as the CNMI’s delegate to the US
Congress.

Results have yet to be posted for American
Samoa, where Republican Aumua Amata is seeking
re-election.

Both King-Hinds and Amata have been
critical of the Trump Administration in recent years, in
response to its dismantling fishing protections alongside
tenders for deep-sea mining licenses in the waters of both
territories.

The White House has also ended a
visa-free travel programme for Chinese tourists to Guam and
the CNMI, while house Republicans seek to end birthright
citizenship in the territories altogether.

Delegates
to Congress from the American Pacific territories have no
voting rights in the House.

Results for Hawaii’s two
congressional seats are expected at 6pm
NZT.

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