Election Date: November 4, 2008

Abstract: At stake: Legislature

At stake: Legislature

Background

Guam, the southernmost of the Mariana Islands, is officially an unincorporated territory of the United States and has its own civilian government. During the Spanish-American war, in 1898, the U.S. took Guam from Spain, which had been the colonial ruler until then.

In 1941, Japanese and American troops fought in Guam. The U.S. re-took the island from Japan’s hands in 1944. Since 1950, people in Guam have been allowed to hold U.S. citizenship. Guam has a representative in the U.S. Congress that has no voting power. The territory does not participate in American presidential elections.

Guam is home to several American army bases and depends highly on American aid. Naval and air force facilities occupy one-third of the land on Guam. Tourism is an important source of income as well.

English and Chamorro are the official languages of Guam. Japanese is also widely spoken.

In 1994, Carl Tommy Cruz Gutierrez was elected governor of Guam. He campaigned with running mate Madeleine Z. Bordallo, a local personality well-known for being the widow of former governor Ricardo Bordallo, who had served from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987.

In 1989, Ricardo Bordallo was convicted to serve four years in a California prison for obstructing justice and tampering witnesses in a case of corruption against him. He committed suicide on Feb. 1, 1990, by wrapping himself in a Guam flag, chaining himself to a statue and shooting himself in the head, all in plain sight and during rush-hour traffic.

In 1996, Gutierrez, a Democrat, participated in the National Finance Committee and helped raise funds for the re-election campaign of U.S. president Bill Clinton and running mate Al Gore. Led by the governor, Guam raised more per-capita money for the Clinton re-election campaign than any other entity.

In 1998, Gutierrez and Bordallo were re-elected. The vote was followed by allegations of fraud by the Republican contenders. The case was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, which finally upheld the results of the election.

In 2002, Madeleine Z. Bordallo was elected to represent Guam in the U.S. House of Representatives. In January 2003, Gutierrez retired from politics. Besides his time as a governor, he had served 20 years as a legislator.

On 2006, Gutierrez had a short comeback as he campaigned in the Democratic primaries for governor with running mate Benjamin Cruz, a senator and former chief justice. The ticket lost to former legislator Robert Underwood and senator Frank Blas Aguon.

In 2003, Republican Felix Perez Camacho was elected governor. Kaleo Moylan was his running mate and became lieutenant governor. Camacho’s father—Carlos Camacho—was Guam’s first elected governor.

In 2006, Camacho ran for re-election and won, this time with a different running mate, Michael W. Cruz. Camacho is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization.

Results of the 2006 legislative election gave the Republican Party eight seats in Guam’s legislature, and the Democratic Party seven seats.

2008 Legislative Election

The Republican Party currently holds a slim majority in the 15-seat Legislature of Guam. Legislative elections take place every two years. A non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives is chosen as well.

Democrat Madeleine Z. Bordallo is running for re-election to represent Guam in the U.S. Congress unopposed. She has held the position since 2002.

A military build-up will be at the centre of this campaign and the gubernatorial campaign in 2010. The U.S. expects to build a new base for the Marine Corps in Guam, among other things, and the population of the island is expected to increase from 173,000 to 215,000 in the next five years.

On Sept. 19, lieutenant governor Michael Cruz announced he will run for the governorship in the 2010 election with his Republican Party, saying that, "The [current] governor [Felix Perez Camacho] challenged me to continue on with the leadership, with what he’s done. So I said, ‘Gov, I am accepting that challenge.’"

Cruz referred to the proposed military build-up and said that he "wants to make sure there is a balance" between population growth and quality of life for Guamanians.

Also on Sept. 19, former Democratic governor Carl Gutierrez said he is "very much" considering running again for governor in the 2010 ballot with former Democratic senator Frank Aguon Jr. as his running mate, declaring, "A lot of people are asking me to make the run again."

On Oct. 1, government officials said that Guam may not have enough funds to cover all of its operations in the last quarter of 2008. Cruz, acting as governor while Camacho is on official trips away from Guam, declared, "It’s going to be some creative minding of the numbers there to try ensure that the different agencies are going to be able to survive the fiscal budget."

On Nov. 5, Madeleine Bordallo—who ran uncontested for re-election as Guam’s delegate before the U.S. House of Representatives—celebrated the victory of fellow Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race, saying that he is “the epitome of the American Dream,” and adding, “The times I’ve talked to him and we’ve spoken about Guam, he’s told me on many occasions that he is an island boy and I’m sure we’ll see a commitment on his part.”

Voting took place on Nov. 4. Partial results suggested that the Democrats would hold on to their majority in the legislature. Final results certified by the Guam Election Commission on Nov. 12 gave the Democrats 10 seats and the Republicans five seats.

The Democrat seats will be filled by Frank Aguon Jr., Ben Pangelinan, Tom Ada, B.J. Cruz, Rory Respicio, Tina Muna Barnes, Adolpho Palacios, Judi Guthertz, Matt Rector and Judy Won Pat. The Republican lawmakers are Eddie Calvo, Ray Tenorio, Jim Espaldon, Frank Blas Jr., and Telo Taitague.

Political Players

Governor: Felix Camacho (R)

Lieutenant governor: Michael Cruz (R)

The governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket to a four-year term by the people.

Legislative Branch: The Legislature of Guam (Liheslaturan Guåhan in Chamorro) has 15 senators, elected for two-year terms in single multimember constituencies.

Results of Last Election:

Governor - Nov. 7, 2006

	Vote%
Felix Camacho - Republican Party	50.25%
Robert A. Underwood - Democratic Party	48.04%
Write-in	1.72%

Legislature - Nov. 4, 2008

	Seats
Democratic Party	10
Republican Party	5

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