The latest updates from Guam’s gubernatorial race show Republicans making unexpected gains. Early Wednesday, they pulled ahead of Democrats, reversing a previous slim lead.
The Republican candidates, Ada-Calvo, positioned themselves strongly with a 2.5-percentage-point advantage, having received 10,179 votes (51.08%) against the Democrats’ 9,682 votes (48.58%).
These figures emerged from results gathered from 38 of Guam’s 59 precincts, leaving 21 precincts yet to report.
This turnaround is notable, especially considering the initial results just before midnight indicated a slight Democratic lead.
At that point, the Democratic ticket of Terlaje-Perez held just a tiny edge, with 5,243 votes compared to Ada-Calvo’s 5,163.
As more ballots were counted through the night, Republicans not only took the lead but extended their margin by nearly 500 votes.
Legislative Gains and Other Races
The gubernatorial race isn’t the only contest seeing shifts. Republicans also gained ground in Guam’s 15-member Legislature, securing eight out of the top 15 positions.
Democrats had previously held a comparable number of spots, indicating a dramatic turn in the election’s favor for the GOP.
In terms of legislative candidates, Democratic Sen. Chris Barnett leads with 12,790 votes, trailed by Amanda Shelton at 10,203 and Republican Sen. Sabrina Salas Matanane with 9,095 votes.
Notably, eight Republicans feature prominently among the top 15 candidates, including Hoa Nguyen and Telo Taitague.
While these results are promising for the Republicans, the remaining precincts could still alter the overall standings.
Delegate and Attorney General Contests
In the race for delegate to the U.S. House, Democrats retained a slight edge, with challenger Alicia Limtiaco leading Republican James Moylan at 10,016 votes (50.75%) to 9,692 votes (49.11%).
However, Limtiaco’s lead has been shrinking as late ballots continued to be counted.
The contest for attorney general remains tight, with Phillip Tydingco currently ahead of incumbent Douglas Moylan.
As the election process unfolded, officials moved quickly to ensure efficient counting of ballots, starting at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
The marked shift in the gubernatorial race, bolstered by continued Republican advancements, underscores a dynamic electoral environment as total votes are tallied.
As of the latest updates, neither party is assured victory, but the GOP’s gains reflect a significant progress in Guam’s political landscape.
