SAIPAN - Kimberlyn King-Hinds, a Republican and former Commonwealth Ports Authority chair, has been elected as the Northern Mariana Islands’ non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
She won a five-way race with 37.7% of the vote, followed by Democratic opponent Edwin Propst, who secured 34% as confirmed by the Commonwealth Election Commission (CEC).
King-Hinds aims to revive CNMI’s economy, emphasizing a “three-pronged approach”: restoring tourism, addressing the expiring CW worker program, and tackling the high cost of living through utility reforms.
A vocal advocate for resuming Annex VI, which exempts CNMI from federal limits on U.S.-China flights, King-Hinds stated she has been actively engaging with the Department of Transportation and local business leaders to support the return of this crucial tourism policy.
“I’ve been working on it, even before this election, in trying to restore Annex VI,” said King-Hinds. “We need to open up all markets. We got to fix and remove the barriers right now, that’s stopping our tourism industry from fully thriving.”
In an interview post-election win, she said she won’t wait until she’s sworn in as delegate, to start working on this restoration.
Propst and other candidates expressed gratitude to supporters.
Other election highlights
In the Senate, Manny Tenorio Castro won the Saipan seat with 5,178 votes, defeating Edith Deleon Guerrero (4,129 votes) and Luis Masga Sablan (403 votes).
In Rota, Republican newcomer Ronnie Mendiola Calvo narrowly beat long-time legislator Paul Manglona, 476 votes to 441. Incumbent Karl Rosario King-Nabors was re-elected unopposed in Tinian with 803 votes.
In the House of Representatives, notable precinct results include Diego Camacho leading Saipan’s Precinct 1 with 1,834 votes, while John Paul Sablan topped Precinct 2 with 700 votes.
Incumbent Blas Jonathan Attao garnered 1,869 votes in Precinct 3, securing re-election alongside five other representatives.
This election also saw Aschumar Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong and Maisie Tenorio secure the two open non-partisan seats on the Board of Education, with 4,889 and 3,816 votes, respectively.
