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2026 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election
American state election From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2026 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the Governor of Northern Mariana Islands. This election will coincide with the 2026 United States general elections. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands will vote for the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, the non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives, attorney general, 6 seats in the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, all twenty seats in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, 4 mayors, seats for the various municipal councils, seats for the board of education, a justice, and 2 judges.
Governor Arnold Palacios was elected with 54.14% of the vote in the runoff election in 2022. He was eligible to run for re-election in 2026, but died on July 23, 2025.[1] David M. Apatang, the incumbent governor sworn in on July 23, 2025, has not announced his plans.
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Background
A governing coalition made up of independents and Democrats has governed the Northern Mariana Islands since 2023. In the 2024 general election, Republicans won the open US delegate seat while independents not aligned with the Palacios administration made modest gains in the legislature.[2] The Republican National Committee announced Palacios rejoined the Republican Party after the 2024 elections. Palacios’ return received a lukewarm to hostile reception from local Republicans.[3][4] Governor Arnold Palacios died July 23, 2025, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor David M. Apatang.[1]
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Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Blas T. Attao, former speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives (2019–2021)[5]
- Running mate: Edmund Villagomez, incumbent speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives (2021-present)[5]
Potential
- David M. Apatang, incumbent governor (2025–present)
Republican nomination
Candidates
Potential
- Vinnie Sablan, Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in 2022 and former member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate (2019–2023)[6]
- Ralph Torres, former governor (2015–2023)[6]
Declined
- Blas T. Attao, former speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives (2019–2021) (running as an independent)[6][5]
Democratic nomination
Candidates
Potential
- Gregorio Sablan, former delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Northern Mariana Islands' at-large congressional district (2009–2025)[6]
General election
The general election will be November 3, 2026.
See also
References
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