Guam voters are deciding an election that will reshape both branches of the island’s government. Governor Lou Leon Guerrero (D) is term-limited, so Guam will have a new governor. Six of the 15 members of the Guam Legislature ran for governor or lieutenant governor this year, and none of them is on this year’s legislative ballot. That means at least six seats will go to new senators.
Voter registration closed October 19. Early in-office voting at the Guam Election Commission runs through October 28, ahead of the November 3, 2026, general election.
The stakes reach beyond the island. Guam is an unincorporated United States territory. Its residents are US citizens who cannot vote for president, and its delegate to Congress cannot vote on the House floor. Many of this year’s main campaign issues, including hospital funding, Medicaid, and disaster recovery, depend on decisions made in Washington. The election also comes after three typhoons affected Guam in six months: Sinlaku in April, Bavi in July, and Champi in October.
An open race for governor
Senator Therese Terlaje (D) and her running mate, Senator Sabina Perez (D), face Senator Vicente “Tony” Ada (R) and his running mate, Edward John “EJ” Calvo (R).
Both tickets came out of the most crowded gubernatorial field in Guam’s history. In the August 1 Democratic primary, Terlaje and Perez beat Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio (D) and Senator Tina Rose Muña Barnes (D) by 452 votes, 47.75% to 44.40%, according to official Guam Election Commission results. Ada and Calvo won the Republican primary with 60.51%, defeating the ticket of Speaker Frank Blas Jr. (R) and Mary Okada.
Democratic ballots outnumbered Republican ballots in the primary, 13,667 to 8,755. Turnout was 40.2% of Guam’s 57,411 registered voters.
Healthcare has become a central issue. At an October 15 debate hosted by the Guam Medical Association, neither candidate fully committed to building Guam’s new hospital at the Mangilao site the Leon Guerrero administration has pursued. The medical community has favored Oka Point, which the legislature designated in 2024 over the governor’s veto.
“Perhaps that should be something that should be left for the incoming administration to deal with,” Ada said of the project. Terlaje said contracts signed by the current administration could limit the next government’s options. She said she would review the existing agreements to find the fastest and most affordable way forward.
On Medicaid, Ada called for removing the federal funding limits that apply to Guam. Terlaje backed expanding eligibility and adding subsidies.
A legislature in transition
Republicans began the 38th Guam Legislature with nine of its 15 seats. The governor’s race pulled members from both parties, but not evenly. Seven Republican incumbents are running for reelection. Only two Democratic incumbents are running: Senators Chris Barnett and William Parkinson.
All 15 seats are elected territory-wide. Thirty candidates, 15 from each party, are on the ballot, and voters can choose up to 15 from either party. Barnett and Senator Jesse Lujan (R) led their parties’ primary fields, according to unofficial results.
A third term or a new delegate
Delegate James Moylan (R) was first elected in 2022 and reelected in 2024. He is running for a third term against Alicia Limtiaco (D), a former attorney general of Guam and former United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Moylan defeated Mary Torres in the Republican primary, and Limtiaco ran unopposed.
Guam’s delegate can introduce bills and vote in committee but cannot vote on final passage on the House floor. Several federal programs at issue in the race treat Guam differently from the states. For example, Guam residents are not eligible for Supplemental Security Income. In March 2026, Moylan backed a bipartisan bill to change that.
Limtiaco has called for Guam to be treated equally under federal programs, including SSI, Medicaid, and veterans care. She has also called for federal investment in the island’s power, water, and disaster preparedness. “If a party position conflicts with Guam’s interest, I am clear: I choose Guam,” she said at an August 29 debate hosted by the Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Moylan did not attend because he was in Washington preparing for the congressional session.
Further down the ballot
Attorney General Douglas Moylan is running for reelection against four challengers in a nonpartisan race. Five candidates, three of them incumbents, are competing for three seats on the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, which oversees the Guam Power Authority and the Guam Waterworks Authority. Four candidates are running for the Guam Education Board.
Profiles, campaign links, and a village-by-village map for every race are on Pasquines’ Guam elections center.
Absentee ballot requests must be received by October 31, and absentee ballots by 5 pm on November 18. Voters must bring a photo ID. Polls will open from 7 am to 8 pm ChST on November 3, 2026, with results expected soon after. Voters in the Northern Mariana Islands go to the polls the same day.
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