Governor faces polls

and court charges

Congressman Ben Blaz, the Guam Republican, and Fofo Sunia, the Sa moan Democrat, are favourites to win this month’s elections in the US territories, while indicted Guam Governor, Ricardo Bordallo, faces an up hill fight.

Guam and American Samoa will also elect members of their legislatures with Guam’s Demo crats showing marginally more strength than the Republicans in the September primaries.

American Samoa’s elections, to the Territorial House of Repre sentatives and Senate, are traditionally non-partisan.

The Guam election has been more exciting than the Amer ican Samoa contest. A couple of days before the September 9 primary, the United States Attorney for Guam announced that Democrat Governor Bor dallo had been indicted for corruption, (see box).

Bordallo and his running mate, the sitting Lt Governor, Edward Reyes, won re-nomina tion handily with 10,493 votes to 5,995 for the ticket of Carl Guttierez (for Governor) and John Aquon for Lt Governor.

Both the latter gave up their seats in the Guam Senate in their bids for higher office.

Meanwhile, in the Republi can primary, one team of sena tors beat another with Joe Ada and Frank Bias (no relation to Congressman Blaz) getting 8,084 votes to 6,003 for Thomas Tanaka and Tony Un pingco. Bordallo and Reyes now face of against Ada and Bias.

The Governor and his supporters claim that the indict ments are politically motivated and arranged by the Reagan administration’s allies on the island; their Republican oppo nents say that the indictments

show that the Governor is unfit for office.

The race for the Governor’s chair, however, overshadows the attempt by Blaz to secure another term in his contest with the former Adjutant-General of the Guam National Guard, Frank Torres. (Torres, a Demo crat, had first sought to run for

the non-voting seat in the Fede ral House of Representatives while on leave from his position with the National Guard. He was forced to retire and now seeks office, as did Blaz two years ago, as a former general.) Blaz has served in the US Marines (September RIM pl 2); he succeeded in his second

attempt, in 1984, to retire long time Democrat Congressman Won Pat.

The September primary vote showed that the two Democra tic candidates for Governor shared 52 per cent of the total vote, with the two Republican slates sharing 45 per cent. (There were some write-ins and a small third party as well).

The main questions now are: How many Guttierez suppor ters will vote for Bordallo and how badly will the Governor be hurt by the corruption charge?

While the primary vote gave some clues as to the gubernato rial vote, it gave much stronger indications as to the outcome of the Blaz-Torres race. Neither man was opposed for his party’s nomination. Guam vo ters had a choice of congressio nal primary ballots, Republican or Democratic if they chose the Democratic one they could only vote for Torres, while the Re publican ticket carried only Blaz’s name Blaz polled 19,675 votes 63 per cent against 11,101 (35 per cent) for Torres. In political polling circles that would be called a 100 per cent sample and strongly suggests a Blaz victory this month unless he provides his opponent with an enormous campaign blunder.

Congressman Sunia was similarly favoured in the quiet campaign in American Samoa, where party labels will appear on the Congressional ballots for the first time. Sunia’s Republi can opponent, as he was two years ago, is Soli Aumoeualo go. Sunia beat him that time by 5,946 to 3,120 and is expected to repeat the performance.

Guam is also witnessing a hard-fought battle for control of its 21-member single house legislature, the Senate. Each of

Governor and Mrs. Bordallo. Photo: Ed. Rampell.

Guam’s parties nominated full slates of 21 candidates in the September primary, all of whom run at large. This month’s results are expected to resemble the 11 Democrats-10 Republicans split of two years ago.

In the Senate race, Guam voters have the opportunity to vote for all Democrats or all Republicans, or any combination of the two.

Sitting Democratic Senator, Don Parkinson, topped the primary poll with 10,969 votes, closely followed on the Democratic side by Senators Elizabeth Arriola, Ted Nelson and Pilar Lujan, all with more than 10,000 votes.

The ranking Republican, by a substantial margin, was incumbent Marilyn Manibusan, who is

also the Senate minority leader and territorial chair of the Re publican Party. (September PIM pl 4) The September primary sug gests a slight Democrat advan tage in the Senate race their winning candidates averaged 8,284 votes against 7,538 for the Republicans, Guam’s female politicians did very well in the primary, with the four incumbents among the top six vote-catchers in the combined returns. Further down in the lists were newcom ers Martha Cruz Rath, a Repub lican, and Marcia Hartsock, a Democrat, both given a chance for success this month. from David S. North in Washington,

Ranking Republican, Senator Marilyn Manibusan.