Fualaau Rosie Tago Lancaster, a US Army veteran who once served as the American Samoa governor’s veterans affairs officer, is on the ballot for the territory’s nonvoting seat in the United States House of Representatives on November 3, 2026. She is one of five candidates in a race against Delegate Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R).
American Samoa’s elections are nonpartisan, and party labels do not appear on the ballot. The territory’s delegate can vote in committees but not on final passage of bills.
Veterans and a new hospital
Veterans’ healthcare has been central to Lancaster’s public career. In 2017, as the governor’s veterans affairs officer, she told a hearing of the American Samoa House of Representatives that a hospital for veterans would never be built unless the United States Department of Veterans Affairs worked with the United States Department of the Interior. Because American Samoa falls under Interior’s jurisdiction, she said, the VA could not allocate funding for local veterans without consulting that department.
At the time, more than 3,300 veterans were registered with the local veterans affairs office, but fewer than 1,000 were being served at the Faleomavaega Outpatient Medical Clinic in Tafuna, Talanei reported. Lancaster said her office’s only funding came from the Governor’s Office budget, which was not enough to meet veterans’ needs. She also said Radewagen should push to remove provisions that block certain health services for local veterans.
The same idea anchored her 2024 campaign. Her platform called for partnering with both departments “to build us a New Hospital, with a hospital wing dedicated to American Samoa Military Retirees and Veterans,” according to Ballotpedia. It also pledged to “ensure full access to all VA benefits due for your service.”
Schools, health, and federal dollars
Lancaster’s 2024 platform also covered education. She proposed a high school track to build interest in professions the territory needs, with college scholarships repaid through professional service in American Samoa. She also called for computer curricula in all elementary schools by grade 4.
On health, she proposed partnerships with US medical schools to bring consistent medical outreach to the villages, and a territorial health policy eligible for federal support. She also pledged to make sure American Samoa is included in all new federal health initiatives, as well as federal stimulus and economic development programs. The platform called for federally funded leadership camps for youth as well.
A long road to the ballot
Lancaster first ran for public office in 2008, RNZ reported. In 2010, she sought the delegate seat but did not make the ballot after failing to collect enough eligible voters’ signatures. She announced another bid in 2012, saying the territory was already feeling the effects of budget cuts being debated in the US Congress.
In 2024, she received 4.7% of the vote, while Radewagen won reelection with 74.8%.
Lancaster graduated from Samoana High School and served in the US Army. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University and a BBA from Hawaii Pacific University, according to Ballotpedia. She has worked as an educator at American Samoa Community College, where she was the veterans educational certifying official in 2012.
Polls will open from 6 am to 6 pm American Samoa time on November 3, 2026, with results expected soon after.
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