NMI delegate race begins

Saipan representative Ed Propst officially introduced himself as a candidate for delegate.

“If I have the good pleasure of you, I am not just going to be sitting in that seat thinking that it is mine. It belongs to you. I represent you. I work for you,” said Propst.

Propst shared the news with family and friends at his late parents’ home Tuesday night. He is the first to announce ahead of the November midterm. The move comes weeks after 8-term delegate and fellow Democrat Gregorio Sablan announced he’s not seeking re-election.

He said, “Kilili is somebody that is irreplaceable. He is somebody that regardless of who gets in, whether it is me or somebody else, I can assure you that to try and compare ourselves to somebody who served proudly for 16 years is not going to be easy. We are starting off, whether or not we have his support and blessing, but I do want to say that he has done so much for this Commonwealth.”

The five-term NMI House Democrat has been a top vote-getter in Precinct 1 and is outspoken about corruption in government.

“If you can think of what I have been able to do in our precinct, I want you to think of what I will do for you in D.C. These are hard times right now but I can assure you we are going to do everything we can to make things better. And I will do that in D.C. I will be there for you,” Propst said. 

NMI Governor Arnold Palacios attended the event later in the evening, endorsing Propst for delegate. With decision day months away, there are more candidacy announcements expected in the weeks to come.

You can find complete NMI Decision 2024 election coverage on KUAM’s YouTube page. Our Thomas Mangnola will have an exclusive 1:1 sit-down interview with Propst in the coming days to discuss his platform.