By Emmanuel T. Erediano

Copyright mvariety

THE Commonwealth will be in a better position to confront economic challenges if both the administration and the Legislature are Republican, local GOP officials told reporters on Monday.

At a press conference at Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe, NMI Republican Party President Joseph Leepan Guerrero, First Vice President Pat Rasa, Second Vice President Patrick Cepeda, Secretary Irene Holl, and Precinct 4 chair and former Rep. Alice Igitol shared their thoughts on why the CNMI should have a Republican-led government.

Guerrero said former Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, a Republican, was instrumental in moving the Commonwealth forward. “No offense to the current administration and most of the elected leaders, but where are we now?” he asked. “What stage of crisis are we in?” If asked to rate the CNMI’s “scale of pain” from 1 to 10, Guerrero said, “the pain is at 9.”

With the CNMI now under non-Republican leadership, he added, “how much more do we want to bleed?”

Cepeda emphasized that the most important question is “who can actually help the people?” He said he believes Republicans can.

Holl recalled that in the aftermath of Super Typhoons Soudelor and Yutu, the CNMI had a Republican governor who was able to reach out directly to a Republican president in Washington, D.C. “The action was faster,” she said, adding that with a Republican governor, a Republican president, and a Republican delegate to Congress, “that is a strength, that is the formula.”

President Barack Obama, a Democrat, was the president when Typhoon Soudelor hit the NMI on Aug. 2, 2015. Republican President Donald Trump was on his first term when Super Typhoon Yutu struck the NMI on Oct. 24, 2018.

Igitol said she is supporting the party she believes can help improve the economy.

Rasa noted that under the CNMI Constitution, the administration and Legislature may be led by either party depending on succession. With the recent passing of the governor, she said, the Commonwealth now has a Republican lieutenant governor in Dennis Mendiola of Rota. “The leaders in government do not always turn out to be from the same party,” she said. “That’s just the way it is constitutionally.”

She added that the NMI Republican Party is a cohesive organization united behind its platform, which is approved by party officials to ensure consistency.

General election

Guerrero also announced that the Republican Party has opened its doors to anyone who wants to run under its banner in the 2025 general election. The party is now receiving letters of intent from prospective candidates, with the slate open through Dec. 12, 2025.

He said he foresees a stronger Republican Party in the next elections “if we all work cohesively together as one.” Party members, he stressed, should refrain from attacking each other. “We cannot improve if we continue that practice,” he said.

Guerrero said Republicans welcome new members as well as former members who left the party. “Please join us. That’s the message,” he said. “But we have to have an understanding that if they come back, they must stick with the party regardless of the outcome of the election.”