Incumbent Republican governor Eloy Inos was re-elected, facing two independent challengers and one Democratic challenger. The next lieutenant governor was elected on the same ticket, with incumbent Jude Hofschneider not running for re-election. As no candidate got a majority, a runoff was held on 21 November, 2014.[2] This election was the first time since 2001 that the Covenant Party, which dissolved in 2013, was not on the ballot. It also marked the first time since 1999 that only two political parties would compete in the elections, marking a return to a two-party system similar to that of the United States rather than the multi-party system, which began back in 1999 when the now dissolved Reform Party was first formed and went on to win a stunning victory by managing to elect Senator Ramon Deleon Guerrero to the senate,[3] that had defined the CNMI for nearly 15 years. The Democratic Party would not win a single seat in the legislature until 2020 and would not compete for the governorship until 2022.
Background
The previous election was held in 2009 for a 5-year term,[4] in order to move all elections to even years. Covenant Party candidate Benigno Repeki Fitial was re-elected; his running mate Eloy Inos was elected to his first full term as lieutenant governor. Fitial resigned as governor in February 2013 in the face of impeachment hearings.[5] Inos thus became governor. In September 2013, he took steps to merge the Covenant Party with the territorial Republican Party, and ran for re-election as a Republican.[6]
Gubernatorial election
Eloy Inos, the incumbent republican governor was re-elected.[2] He was challenged by the speaker of the house and 2009 candidate, Heinz Sablan Hofschneider, former governor Juan Babauta (both running as independents), and democratic candidate Edward Masga Deleon Guerrero, former ports authority executive director.[7]
Candidates
Juan Babauta, former governor (2002–2006), running as an independent[8]
Running mate: Juan Torres, former senator
Edward "Tofila" Masga Deleon Guerrero, former Ports Authority executive director, running as a Democrat[9]
Running mate: Danny Quitugua, former representative
Incumbent Delegate Gregorio Sablan was re-elected. He caucuses with the Democratic Party, but ran as an Independent. Sablan was challenged by democrat Andrew Salas, a former territorial representative and Commerce Secretary.[2] While not quite as massive as his 2012 victory, Sablan managed to win yet another landslide with nearly two-thirds of the vote over his Democratic competitor.[10]
All four mayoral posts were up for election across the Commonwealth.
On June 2, 2014, incumbent Saipan mayor Donald Flores, then in his second term, died in office following a stroke.[12] Governor Eloy Inos appointed Marian Deleon Guerrero Tudela as acting Mayor of Saipan on June 3, 2014, to serve for the remainder of Flores' unexpired term, which would end in January 2015.[13][12] Ramon B. Camacho, the chairman of the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council, served as acting mayor until Tudela could return from Arizona to take the oath of office.[13][14] Tudela had been living in Arizona at the time of her appointment in order to take care of her great-granddaughter.[14] Inos cited her second place finish in the 2009 mayoral election as a reason for her appointment.[12] She promised to retain all of Flores' existing staff during her term.[12] Marian Tudela was sworn into office on June 8, 2014, by Governor Eloy Inos during a ceremony at the Coral Ocean Point Resort.[14] She became the first female mayor of Saipan, as well as the first female mayor of any municipality in the Northern Mariana Islands in history.[14][15] Tudela declined to run for a full term.
This was the first election in which the Attorney General was an elected position.[16] Edward Manibusan, the former presiding judge of the Superior Court, defeated attorney Michael N. Evangelista handily. Manibusan won all but Tanapag and Rota in the general election.[17]
The general elections included three referendum questions, two of which involved legislative initiative amendments to the constitution. The constitutional amendments were to:
article XV, subsection 1(e) of the constitution to increase the minimum proportion of the Commonwealth general-revenue budget spent on primary and secondary education from 15% to 25%. H.L.I. 18-12.[18]
amend article XII, section 4 to redefine "persons of Northern Mariana Islands descent" as being someone who has "some degree of Northern Mariana Chamorro or Northern Mariana Carolinan blood", as opposed to the current requirement of at least 25% bloodline. H.L.I. 18-1.[1]
An amendment proposed by legislative initiative shall become effective if approved by a majority of the votes cast. N.M.I. Const. art. XVIII, § 5(b).
The other referendum asked voters whether a Constitutional Convention should be convened to propose amendments to the constitution. H.B. 18-5.[1]
The Constitutional Convention proposal would have required two-thirds of the votes cast to be approved. N.M.I. Const. art. XVIII, § 2(c).
Calling a Constitutional Convention (required two-thirds of votes cast)
7,859
66.01%
4,046
33.99%
Constitutional amendment on education spending (required majority of votes cast)
8,082
66.56%
4,060
33.44%
Constitutional amendment on the definition of descent (required majority of votes cast)
6,177
52.34%
5,624
47.66%
Notes
^ Ray Naraja Yumul resigned to run with Juan Nekai Babauta as his lieutenant governor in the 2014 Northern Mariana Islands general election. This seat was filled in a special election that coincides with the 2014 general election.
^Ramon Muna Dela Cruz switched his affiliation from Republican to Independent before the elections
