Former House Speaker Blas Jonathan “BJ” Attao (I) and his running mate, House Speaker Edmund Villagomez (I), lead the Northern Mariana Islands governor’s race in Pasquines’ October 2026 Elections Territorial Poll, with 50.5% of registered voters. Former Governor Ralph DLG Torres (R) and his running mate, Kagman High School principal Benjamin Jones Jr. (R), received 32.0%. Commissioner of Education Lawrence F. Camacho (I) and former Senate President Edith DeLeon Guerrero (I) received 15.9%, and 1.6% were undecided.
That puts Attao and Villagomez just above the threshold to win outright. In the Northern Mariana Islands, a ticket must win more than half the votes, or the top two tickets face a runoff.
The race for the territory’s nonvoting delegate in the United States House of Representatives is closer. Galvin Sablan Deleon Guerrero (I), president of Northern Marianas College, received 48.6%, and Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R) received 44.4%. Another 6.9% were undecided.
King-Hinds flipped the seat to Republicans in 2024, after Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D) held it for over a decade. Pasquines’ 2024 poll showed her ahead with 41.7%.
An open governor’s race
The governor’s race follows the death of Governor Arnold Palacios in July 2025. Governor David M. Apatang (I), who succeeded him, declined to seek a full term and endorsed Attao.
Every respondent who voted for Palacios and Apatang in 2022 now backs Attao and Villagomez. Among those who voted for Torres in 2022, 75.0% are sticking with him and 18.8% back Attao. Respondents who backed the 2022 Democratic ticket of Tina Sablan and Leila Staffler favor Attao, at 64.3%, with 14.3% each for Torres and Camacho.
Ticket splitting in the delegate race
All of Torres and Jones’ supporters back King-Hinds, and 82.4% of Attao and Villagomez’s supporters back Deleon Guerrero. Supporters of Camacho and DeLeon Guerrero split almost evenly: 44.9% for King-Hinds and 43.9% for Deleon Guerrero.
How voters view the candidates
Villagomez had the highest favorable rating of any candidate, at 55.9% favorable and 33.6% unfavorable. Attao was viewed favorably by 53.9% and unfavorably by 39.1%. Torres was viewed unfavorably by 58.9%, the most of any candidate, and favorably by 33.8%.
Jones was viewed favorably by 47.7% and unfavorably by 33.1%, and Camacho by 46.7% and 31.8%. Edith DeLeon Guerrero was viewed unfavorably by 44.1% and favorably by 39.7%.
In the delegate race, King-Hinds was viewed favorably by 53.0% and unfavorably by 34.7%, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero by 52.3% and 35.5%.
The current administration was viewed less favorably. Apatang was viewed unfavorably by 45.7% and favorably by 38.3%. Lieutenant Governor Dennis James C. Mendiola (R) was viewed unfavorably by 52.3% and favorably by 30.2%. In the Northern Mariana Islands, 57.4% viewed President Donald Trump (R) unfavorably.
Attorney general
The nonpartisan race for attorney general is a three-way contest. Michael Norita Evangelista received 33.3%, Joaquin Deleon Guerrero Torres 30.4%, and Jonathan Robert Glass 29.4%. Another 7.0% were undecided.
Political status
Asked for their preferred political status for the Northern Mariana Islands, 63.7% chose the current territorial status. Another 12.1% chose independence, 8.4% statehood, and 1.8% independence with a free association pact, while 14.1% were undecided.
A separate approval-voting question let respondents approve of more than one option. In it, 63.1% approved of the current status, 20.7% of statehood, 15.7% of free association, and 10.3% of independence.
About the poll
The poll was open online from October 15 to October 28, 2026. Respondents came from Pasquines’ opt-in online panel, not a random sample. The Northern Mariana Islands results reflect 56 registered voters. Each response was weighted by the respondent’s reported vote in the first round of the 2022 governor’s race, based on the official results.
Polls will open from 7 am to 7 pm ChST on November 3, 2026, with results expected soon after.
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