Elections

Terlaje concedes Guam governor’s race to Ada and Calvo as Limtiaco leads Moylan for delegate

By William-Jose Velez Gonzalez

Pasquines · pasquines.us/2026/11/03/terlaje-concedes-guam-governors-race-to-ada-and-calvo-as-limtiaco-leads-moylan-for-delegate/

Vicente "Tony" Ada, EJ Calvo, Alicia Limtiaco, and Phillip Tydingco.
Vicente "Tony" Ada, EJ Calvo, Alicia Limtiaco, and Phillip Tydingco.Image credit: Composite image by Pasquines

Senator Therese Terlaje (D) conceded Guam’s race for governor early on November 4, 2026, after the Guam Election Commission’s final unofficial results put Vice Speaker Vicente “Tony” Ada (R) and his running mate, Edward John “EJ” Calvo (R), 1,020 votes ahead. In the race for Guam’s seat in the United States House of Representatives, Alicia Limtiaco (D) led Delegate James Moylan (R) by 662 votes.

“I just called Senator Tony Ada and conceded and congratulated him on behalf of Senator Perez and [me],” Terlaje said, referring to her running mate, Senator Sabina Perez (D). “Never ever give up on Guam,” she said. The concession came at about 1:40 am ChST, The Guam Daily Post reported.

Ada said Terlaje and Perez “ran a very good campaign” and pointed to the work ahead. “Once the transition reports come in, all those things that have been an issue, we’ll try to address them immediately,” he said. Calvo thanked “the voters of Guam for putting their trust in us.”

“Our love for Guam and our commitment to its people remain unwavering,” Ada and Calvo wrote in a statement on Facebook, signed with Annette Ada and Jackie Calvo. The statement thanked “every family who welcomed us, every volunteer who stood beside us, and every voter who made their voice heard.”

“Guam, which has always been considered strongly Democrat, just had an early call for a REPUBLICAN Victory in the top spot, Governor—Congratulations to Tony Ada!” President Donald Trump (R) wrote on Truth Social, KUAM News reported. “Also, the Republicans have the Majority in the State Senate. Wow, hopefully that’s an indication for things to come!” he added, referring to the Guam Legislature.

Guam has not always leaned Democratic. Republicans held the governorship for 34 of the 50 years from 1969 to 2019, according to the Interior Department, including 16 straight years under former Governors Felix Camacho (R) and Eddie Baza Calvo (R), from 2003 to 2019. Republicans also won a majority in the current, 38th Guam Legislature in 2024, for the first time in 18 years, and Moylan has held the delegate seat for Republicans since 2023.

Ada and Calvo received 15,945 votes, or 51.45%, to 14,925, or 48.15%, for Terlaje and Perez. Limtiaco received 15,645 votes, or 51.00%, to Moylan’s 14,983, or 48.84%. Turnout reached 53.11%, with 31,414 ballots cast by Guam’s 59,146 registered voters, up from 40.19% in the August 1 primary.

All 59 precincts have been tallied, but the results remain unofficial until the commission certifies them. Off-island absentee ballots are counted if the commission receives them by 5 pm on the tenth day after the election. If the results are certified, Ada and Calvo will succeed Governor Lou Leon Guerrero (D), who is term-limited.

A count that turned overnight

The governor’s race shifted as the night went on. With 21 of Guam’s 59 precincts processed at 11:32 pm ChST, Terlaje and Perez led by 80 votes, 5,243 to 5,163. With 38 precincts in, Ada and Calvo had moved ahead, 10,179 to 9,682, according to VoteHub figures. By the final unofficial count at 1:30 am ChST, their lead had grown to 1,020 votes.

Democrats had drawn more voters in the primary. On August 1, Democratic ballots outnumbered Republican ballots 13,667 to 8,755, according to official commission results, as Terlaje and Perez defeated Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio (D) and Senator Tina Rose Muña Barnes (D) by 452 votes. Ada and Calvo won the Republican primary with 60.51%.

Healthcare was a central issue in the race. On Medicaid, Ada called for removing the federal funding limits that apply to Guam, while Terlaje backed expanding eligibility and adding subsidies. Neither fully committed to building Guam’s new hospital at the Mangilao site the Leon Guerrero administration has pursued.

A Democratic pickup in the delegate race

The delegate race went the other way. Limtiaco, a former attorney general of Guam and former United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, led in the early count and held on against Moylan, who was seeking a third term after winning in 2022 and 2024. The Guam Daily Post and The Triton’s Call, which reported Terlaje’s concession, did not report one in the delegate race.

Limtiaco campaigned on equal treatment for Guam under federal programs, including Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid, and veterans care. “If a party position conflicts with Guam’s interest, I am clear: I choose Guam,” she said at an August 29 debate.

National political reporters flagged the race as an early Democratic flip in the midterms. The seat will not change control of the US House, because Guam’s delegate can vote in committee but not on final passage of bills.

A narrower Republican majority in the Legislature

Republicans took eight of the top 15 spots in the race for the Guam Legislature, which would give them a majority of eight to seven. They began the 38th Guam Legislature with nine seats. Senator Chris Barnett (D) was the top vote-getter, with 19,783 votes.

The last seat is close. Senator Eulogio “Shawn” Gumataotao (R), chairman of the Republican Party of Guam, holds the 15th spot with 11,031 votes, 147 ahead of William Castro (R). The highest-placed Democrat outside the top 15, Angel Anthony R. Sablan (D), trails Gumataotao by 267 votes.

In the nonpartisan race for attorney general, Phillip Tydingco led with 38.29%, ahead of Attorney General Douglas Moylan, who sought reelection, at 33.08%. Thomas Fisher received 12.70%, Peter Santos 11.08%, and Jordan Pauluhn 4.79%. For the three seats on the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, Simon Sanchez, Michael Troy Limtiaco, and Francis Santos led a field of five. All four candidates for the Guam Education Board, John Taitano II, Ronald McNinch Jr., Isaiah Aguon, and Ronald Ayuyu, won seats in the uncontested race.

How the results compare with the poll

The results diverge sharply from Pasquines’ October 2026 Elections Territorial Poll, likely due to the limited number of voters who responded. In that opt-in online poll, Terlaje and Perez led Ada and Calvo 57.9% to 35.4%. While the poll matched the outcome in the delegate and attorney general races, the numbers varied significantly from the actual results.

Updated results will appear on the Pasquines elections center as the commission releases them.

At a glance

Puerto Rico
State Elections CommissionNext election
Guam
Guam Election CommissionNext election
United States Virgin Islands
Election System of the US Virgin IslandsNext election
American Samoa
American Samoa Election OfficeNext election
Northern Mariana Islands
Commonwealth Election CommissionNext election

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About the author

William-Jose Velez Gonzalez

William-Jose Velez Gonzalez

William-José Vélez González is a native from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and a graduate from Florida International University in biomedical engineering, engineering management, and international relations. A designer with a strong interest in science, policy, and innovation, he previously served as the national executive vice president of the Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association. William-José lives in Washington, DC, where he works at the Children's National Research Institute and runs Opsin, a nonprofit design studio dedicated to making design more accessible. You can see him on Love is Blind as Lydia's brother. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of Pasquines.

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