At Stake in this Election:  

• Position(s) and institution name: Governor of Northern Mariana Islands  

• Elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Northern Mariana Islands, and for a non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives are happening concurrently. 

Government Structure:

• Chief of State: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025)  

• Head of Government: Governor David M. APATANG (since 24 July 2025)  

• Assembly: Bicameral Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature consisting of the Senate with 9 members and a House of Representatives with 20 members. 

Electoral System:   

• The President of the United States of America serves as the Chief of State of the Northern Mariana Islands. The President is elected through a majority and serves a 4-year term, with the possibility of serving a second term. 

• The Governor is elected by securing an absolute majority of the vote. If no candidate has an absolute majority after the Commonwealth Election Commission certifies the results, a runoff election will be held 14 days after the results from the first round are certified. The Governor serves a 4-year term. 

• The 9 members of the Senate are elected by plurality vote in three multi-member constituencies. They are elected to 4-year terms, with one-third or two-thirds of seats renewed every two years. 

• All 20 members of the House of Representatives are elected by plurality vote from seven election districts. They are elected to 2-year terms.  

Last Election: 

In the last Governor election, Arnold Indalecio PALACIOS was elected Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands in a second-round run-off election after no candidate secured an absolute majority of the vote. On July 23, 2025, Governor PALACIOS died, after which Lieutenant Governor David M. APATANG succeeded to the position of Governor. 

Information for Voters: 

Important dates for the general election, details on polling places, and voter registration lookup can be found on the Commonwealth Election Commission website. (In English) 

Key Deadlines:  

• Candidate filing deadline: August 5, 2026 

• Voter registration deadline: September 4, 2026 

Main Parties: [EMB page] 

• Candidate Name: Blas Jonathan Tenorio ATTAO 

• Party: Independent 

• Candidate Name: Ralph Anthony Deleon Guerrero TORRES 

• Party: Republican  

• Candidate Name: Lawrence Fejeran CAMACHO 

• Party: Independent 

Country Context: 

• Population: 43,541 (2025 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 18,521 (2026 est.) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score: 0.57 (2025)* 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Electoral Democracy (2025)* 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.938, Very high, Rank 17 (2025)* 

*Listed scores cover all of the United States of America   

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 20,507 (2025 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980 by the United States of America 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 3 out of 20 (15%) in the House of Representatives and 2 out of 9 (22%) in the Senate  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 19.1 (2025)* 

*Listed scores cover all of the United States of America 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 July 2009 by the United States of America  

• Projected population with a disability: 6,967 (2025 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: No