First posted on Instagram
Republican Vicente "Tony" Ada has won the race for governor of Guam, defeating Democratic nominee Therese Terlaje and flipping the territory's top office from Democratic to Republican control after eight years under a Democratic governor.
Final unofficial results from the Guam Election Commission, with all 59 precincts counted, gave Ada and his running mate, Edward "E.J." Calvo, 15,945 votes, or 51.45 percent, against 14,925 votes, or 48.15 percent, for Terlaje and her running mate, Sabina Perez — a margin of 1,020 votes, about 3.3 percentage points. The commission released the final unofficial count at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Guam time.
Terlaje called Ada to concede, according to the Pacific Daily News. The results remain unofficial until the commission certifies them: absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day must arrive by 5 p.m. on November 18, and the commission is scheduled to certify the general election results on November 19.
The governorship was open because the incumbent, Democrat Lou Leon Guerrero, was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term. Ada is the Guam Legislature's vice speaker and a longtime legislator; Calvo is a businessman. Terlaje is a territorial legislator and former speaker of the Guam Legislature, and Perez is a senator.
Republicans also took eight of the 15 seats in the Guam Legislature, against seven for Democrats, putting the party in line for a narrow majority in the incoming 39th Guam Legislature.
If the final unofficial count holds through certification, Ada and Calvo would take office in January 2027.