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Nikolao Pula
Nikolao Pula (Republican Party) is the Governor of American Samoa. Pula assumed office on January 3, 2025. Pula's current term ends on January 3, 2029.
Pula ran for election for Governor of American Samoa. Pula won in the general runoff election on November 19, 2024.
American Samoa elections are officially nonpartisan. Pula identified himself as a member of the Republican Party with the Republican National Committee.[1]
Biography
Nikolao Pula graduated from Marist Brothers High School in Atu’u, American Samoa. He went on to attend Menlo College, Brigham Young University, and George Mason University. His career experience includes working as an assistant to members of Congress, as a staff director for a U.S. House subcommittee, and for the U.S. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. He then began working for the Department of Interior (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) and was eventually appointed as the director of the OIA.[2]
Political career
Below is a list of offices within Ballotpedia’s scope. Offices outside of that scope will not be listed. If an update is needed and the office is within our scope, please contact us.
Pula's political career includes the following offices:
- 2025-present: Governor of American Samoa
Elections
2024
See also: American Samoa gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2024
General runoff election
General runoff election for Governor of American Samoa
Nikolao Pula defeated incumbent Lemanu Palepoi Mauga in the general runoff election for Governor of American Samoa on November 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Nikolao Pula (Nonpartisan) | 59.8 | 5,846 |
 | Lemanu Palepoi Mauga (Nonpartisan) | 40.2 | 3,925 | |
| Total votes: 9,771 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Governor of American Samoa
Nikolao Pula and incumbent Lemanu Palepoi Mauga advanced to a runoff. They defeated Vaitautolu I'aulualo in the general election for Governor of American Samoa on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Nikolao Pula (Nonpartisan) | 42.4 | 4,284 |
| ✔ | | Lemanu Palepoi Mauga (Nonpartisan) | 36.2 | 3,660 |
 | Vaitautolu I'aulualo (Nonpartisan) | 21.4 | 2,169 | |
| Total votes: 10,113 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Pula in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nikolao Pula did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
Pula’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
HONEST GOVERNANCE The first pillar of the taualuga o le fale Pula ma Pulu is a total commitment to Honest Governance. “Honesty is the Only Policy” in a Pula & Pulu administration, and is carried out based on the following three principles: 1) Ethical & Fair Leadership Pula and Pulu will lead an administration that will rebuild trust between the American Samoa Government and its citizens by operating ethically (Fairness), by being open to scrutiny (Transparency), and by taking responsibility for its actions (Accountability). You can trust Pula and Pulu to provide Honest Governance because they have the courage to do what is right based on their faith and moral conviction. During 50+ years of experience in public service, they have demonstrated their commitment to withstand the pressure or temptation to compromise their values. ETHICAL & FAIR LEADERSHIP Pula and Pulu’s ethical leadership will make decisions based on their moral principles and values, in conformance with the American Samoa Constitution and the laws of the land. Pula and Pulu will apply the Rule of Law and fairness to provide equitable treatment for all individuals regardless of their background or status. Together, these qualities will foster trust, integrity, and legitimacy in the government. TRANSPARENCY The honest governing style of the Pula & Pulu administration will include providing the public with open information about governmental processes, actions, and decisions. People will be able to judge for themselves whether the Pula & Pulu administration is fair. This style of open information will allow people to pursue government jobs, contracts, and other opportunities on an equal basis. Pula and Pulu firmly believe that such a governing style is essential for fostering trust, promoting democracy, and ensuring citizens are informed and engaged in the workings of their government. ACCOUNTABILITY Pula & Pulu administration will ensure that all those in position of power are held responsible for their actions and decisions. They will put in place mechanisms for transparency, oversight and consequences for misconduct or negligence. Pula and Pulu Accountability will foster trust between the government and the public by demonstrating a commitment to upholding standards and serving the interest of the people. The Pula & Pulu administration will respect the “checks and balances” in our form of democratic government, honoring the authority and role of the Fono and the Judiciary. HONEST GOVERNANCE in the Pula & Pulu administration means: PRIORITIES Part of HONEST GOVERNANCE is telling the public how their government will be led if Pula and Pulu are elected. Leaders must make tough decisions every day. There is never enough time or money to take care of every need. Therefore, leaders must establish priorities. The top priorities of a Pula & Pulu administration will be: The Pula & Pulu campaign will explain their approach to each of their priorities during the HOPE-TALKS and the H-O-P-E pillars that support the taualuga o le fale o le Malo o Amerika Samoa. OFFER QUALITY HEALTHCARE “Offer Quality Healthcare”, the second pillar of the taualuga o le fale Pula ma Pulu, is a 100% commitment to the goal of providing quality, affordable, convenient, culturally safe healthcare to individuals and families throughout the atunu’u. Pula and Pulu are passionate about seeking the best solutions to our multi-dimensional healthcare challenges. For example:
The goal of the Pula & Pulu healthcare strategy is to empower every person in American Samoa to live to achieve their optimal health. Optimal Health for American Samoa and its residents is based on the following fundamental principles:
Pula and Pulu will challenge the government healthcare system to provide shorter waits at the Emergency Room, more convenient ways to make appointments, and more consideration for the elderly and bedridden, whether through increased home visits or special accommodations at the hospital or clinics. Pula and Pulu believe that a) preventative healthcare, and b) medical treatment healthcare, and c) behavioral healthcare and d) mental healthcare are equally important. Just as American Samoa needs properly staffed medical clinics and a hospital to treat physical ailments and promote physical wellbeing, American Samoa also needs properly-staffed clinics and facilities to treat behavioral and mental ailments and to promote behavioral and mental wellbeing. NEW HOSPITAL and FUNDING The next Governor will have a rare, once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a long-overdue new hospital. The need for a new hospital was made clear in a 2019 study carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (funded by the U.S. Department of Interior). The Army Corps advised the Department of Interior that “the existing [LBJ] facility is incapable of meeting the long-term needs of the patient population because of the state of failure due to age (built in 1968), lack of preventative maintenance and environmental exposure.” The LBJ Tropical Medical Center opened its doors in 56 years ago, when there were only half as many local residents and there was little pressure for American Samoa to host a truly modern facility. Pula and Pulu salute the generations of leaders and healthcare providers who have made heroic efforts to provide quality healthcare in a less-than-ideal facility with inadequate resources. At the same time Pula and Pulu are determined to use their time in office to build a modern, multi-story facility to meet the advanced needs of today and the foreseeable needs of the coming decades. ARPA and other once-in-a-lifetime federal funding programs have allocated $300 million for a new hospital facility, but that will not be enough money. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Health Facilities Planning Agency provided a blueprint to help steer purposeful decision-making for American Samoa’s government leaders and stakeholders. The USACE provided five options ranging from renovating the existing hospital, to building a new hospital that is double in size. Pula and Pulu support “Option C” at this time, which calls for a new multi-story hospital at the site of the existing LBJ Tropical Medical Center, at a pre-Covid construction cost estimated at $375 million to $425 million. (The other three options—click “blueprint” above, and turn to pages 4 and 5—range from $325 million to $900 million.) Additional money will be needed to build, equip and staff this new facility. Pula and Pulu will work together with the American Samoa Congressperson and the Fono to go to Washington, DC and persuade Congress to make additional funds available to the territory for a new hospital. Nikolao Pula spent 30 years working in Congress and as a top official at the U.S. Department of Interior. He knows how hard it will be to get the additional money we need, and he also knows how to succeed at this hard task. Nikolao Pula asks you, the voters, to give him the opportunity to go to Washington, persuade Congress that we will make wise and proper use of federal funds, and get the additional funds needed to build a new hospital. American Samoa will always struggle to meet local healthcare demands and has long relied upon the federal government to finance a large portion of our healthcare costs, consistent with the promises made in the 1900 Deed of Cession. It is very important that we use federal funds properly and obtain and retain the full support of federal programs and the U.S. Congress. Getting money from Congress for a new hospital is necessary, but it is just part of what is needed. Pula and Pulu will encourage, empower and support our healthcare professionals as they work with other federal agencies that provide funding for programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans healthcare, training for all the different healthcare provider jobs, tele-health and many others. It will be a goal of the Pula and Pulu administration to achieve JCAHO certification of a local medical facility so that our local veterans do not have to travel overseas for the treatment they are entitled to. Pula and Pulu and their healthcare team will work hard to maximize the Medicaid funding available to American Samoa by giving higher priority to allocating local funds for healthcare, thus triggering a much greater amount of federal Medicaid funds. At the same time, Pula and Pulu will continue to advocate for Medicaid funds to be made available to American Samoa with a lower local funding match than at present. When our needs are so great, we should not be returning $172 million of Medicaid funds (2020-2023) for lack of local matching funds. The P&P administration will work with the Fono to increase the local match funding that will allow greater Medicaid financial support for our hospital and residents. Pula and Pulu will also leverage Medicaid funding to provide healthcare-related services for children with disabilities. We understand the importance of partnering Medicaid with Special Education services to provide the healthcare needed for children with disabilities to thrive and succeed. Many groups have helped provide healthcare in American Samoa in the past, and the Pula and Pulu administration will work with all these organizations to help them help our local Department of Health, our local hospital and its governing board, and all others involved in promoting healthcare and medical treatment in American Samoa. P&P commends the heart-felt and generous contributions of the many groups who help the people of American Samoa respond to healthcare challenges and strive for optimal health. The P&P administration seeks to strengthen partnerships with such groups, including (but not limited to) the American Samoa Community Cancer Coalition, Women’s Hospital Auxiliary, Hope House, Lions Club, Shriners, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mission of Hope Ministries, American Samoa Community College, Oregon Health and Science University, Yale University, Brown University, University of Hawaii, University of Miami, Washington State University, Brigham Young University, Galeai Cancer Foundation, American Samoa Diabetes and Tobacco Coalition, Agency for Better Living Endeavors (ABLE), Empowerment for Pacific Island Communities, Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Rotary Club, American Samoa Mental Health Partnership, Alliance Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, various outreach effort from the U.S. military, the World Health Organization, the Pacific Community, and many others (apologies for any inadvertently left off of this list). STAFFING Staffing our only hospital has always been a significant challenge, and the recent Covid-19 pandemic revealed that we need to do more. Pula and Pulu believe that sustained and innovative strategies can result in better staffing for our hospital and other healthcare programs by encouraging more locals to train for a healthcare career and by once again taking advantage of programs like the National Health Services Corps. Pula and Pulu will challenge its healthcare team and the American Samoa Community College to educate a local homegrown workforce and enhance the human resources pipeline to serve in the healthcare system in American Samoa. A variety of strategies will be needed, including encouraging and incentivizing more locals to pursue a healthcare education and providing competitive wages and a good work environment for healthcare professionals that are locally recruited or recruited from off-island, when necessary. OPTIMAL HEALTH There is more to healthcare than the nuts and bolts of personnel, facilities and funding. Achieving optimal health for each individual and each family requires a holistic approach of mental, behavioral, spiritual, physical, cultural, and social wellbeing. Our healthcare focus has become focused primarily on disease management. We increasingly have defined healthcare to be solely focused on responding to illness and accidents, instead of a more holistic approach. This has shifted the idea of who is responsible for “healthcare” away from the home and village to government facilities and agencies such as the LBJ Tropical Medical Center and the Department of Health. Pula and Pulu endorse a holistic approach that will help individuals, families, and villages live a healthy life, AND provide the needed medical services when illness and accidents occur. P&P recognize the importance of lifestyle factors and social determinants of health that affect personal and community health, including conditions where people are born, live, work, play, age, and worship. Tobacco use, alcohol use, physical activity choices, and the food we eat are linked to the high rate of non-communicable diseases in our community, such as obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Addressing these conditions and factors can have a greater impact on personal and community health than genetic factors or access to healthcare services. Pula and Pulu will work with partners to promote Optimal Health for American Samoa residents while also providing equitable access to high quality healthcare services. The Pula & Pulu campaign believes that research must be a cornerstone and driver of their healthcare strategy. There are large knowledge gaps about underlying causes of health issues in our population. Research can help us find the most effective ways to be healthy, stay healthy and get healthy. For example, genetic testing has led to new ways to detect illness early enough to allow for effective treatment, as well as improved management of chronic disease, and the introduction of new treatments. Research also allows healthcare approaches that will to be tailored to our unique needs, thus reducing our reliance on findings from other populations which are significantly different than our own. In addition to medical research, Pula and Pulu will encourage policy research on how best to fund healthcare in American Samoa, taking into account the fact that most working-age persons are foreign nationals. Such research will ask whether and how immigration or employer sponsors should bear a higher burden of cost for the subsidized healthcare provided to resident foreign nationals. “Offer Quality Healthcare” in the Pula & Pulu administration means:
PROVIDE EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION The third pillar of the taualuga o le fale Pula ma Pulu is “Provide Exceptional Education.” Pula and Pulu believe that education is the cornerstone of personal and community progress and prosperity. We are committed to ensuring that every student receives an exceptional education that empowers them to thrive after they finish high school or college, whether they stay home in American Samoa, join the military, or choose to live anywhere else. Pula and Pulu envision an American Samoa where every student has access to high-quality education that nurtures their talents, celebrates their heritage, and prepares them for success in the 21st century. We envision schools that are centers of excellence, where teachers are supported, students are inspired, and communities are actively engaged in the educational process. The Pula and Pulu educational platform is rooted in a firmly held goal that the education provided in American Samoa will one day be just as good as the education provided in the rest of the United States, and that in the next four years there will be continual progress towards that goal. Pula and Pulu believe in these five key principles:
Our educators and educational establishment will be guided by these key principles as they grapple with the dozens of issues that they must address in and out of the classroom every day, every semester and every school year. Resolving these many issues will be difficult, but they must be addressed if improvements in our educational system are going to be realized. Pula and Pulu believe their primary responsibility as Governor and Lt. Governor is to make sure that the leaders in the school system share their belief in these principles and are prepared to work tirelessly to make continual progress on behalf of students and our community. Pula and Pulu believe their job is to establish the values, principles, goals and priorities related to education, and then find and empower the best people to do the actual work: educators and educational administrators, coaches, youth group leaders, counselors, etc. Those are the people, in the classroom and out of the classroom, who know what needs to be done and how to get it done. Pula and Pulu will prioritize getting them the budget and tools that they need. One "tool" educators and school administrators in a Pula and Pulu administration will be given is greater autonomy. This means they will have the authority to make decisions and take actions at the school and classroom level. With this new autonomy, systems of reporting and accountability will be put in place to ensure better outcomes and higher morale. Pula and Pulu will ask American Samoa’s educators and administrators to meet their challenges (our challenges) head on and be guided by the five principles above. Such challenges cover a very wide and dynamic range, as evidenced by the following list of topics which are all important (the list is not exhaustive, and presented in alphabetical order to emphasize the wide range and large number of issues):
Pula and Pulu believe that providing excellent education is a complex challenge and requires leadership that understands and appreciates our community, our students, and the wider world beyond our shores. We understand and appreciate that:
EXPANSION OF ECONOMIC GROWTH The fourth pillar of the taualuga o le fale Pula ma Pulu is “Expansion of Economic Growth.” Under the Pula and Pulu administration, they believe in developing a strategic economic plan for American Samoa which involves a comprehensive approach that addresses key areas such as economic diversification, infrastructure development, workforce education, and sustainable practices under their “HOPE TO PROSPERITY” plan. HOPE2024 unequivocally understands that essential infrastructure is needed for the people of American Samoa and their businesses to flourish. Under the Governorship of Pula’ali’i Nikolao Pula & Pulu Ae Ae Jr., HOPE2024 there will be a plan that will facilitate investment in the electricity, water, and telecommunications sectors, increasing generation capacity while creating efficient transmission and distribution networks. A focus on air and seaport is also critical in the infrastructure plan to support commerce & trade. The applicable authorities will receive training and assistance to manage this infrastructure and to increase competition to keep costs low for consumers. Developing and implementing key policy reforms and the construction of essential infrastructure HOPE to Prosperity envisions extraordinary private-sector investment in entrepreneurship, small businesses, tourism, agriculture, housing, manufacturing, and natural resources. The goal of early-stage investment will be to remove constraints to growth and to target key projects that build momentum, generate jobs, and increase gross domestic product (GDP). From the farmers working on his plantation to support his family to the young college graduate building their first company all those in American Samoa working throughout the private sector will benefit from this plan. HOPE to Prosperity encourages strengthening regional development and integration creates new opportunities for local businesses and increases commerce with neighboring countries. This vision will boost the economies in the pacific and reduce trade barriers across the region. Increased cooperation between trading partners will support companies in these countries which are seeking to develop international business. The plan will help the local private sector capitalize on growth opportunities by improving access to strong neighboring economies. Strategic Plan: HOPE TO PROSPERITY for American Samoa Under the Governorship of Pula’ali’i Nikolao Pula and Pulu Ae Ae Jr., HOPE2024 focuses on transforming American Samoa through targeted infrastructure investment, economic diversification, and regional integration. This plan is designed to enhance the quality of life, boost the economy, and create sustainable development opportunities for all residents.
This strategic plan aims to create a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous American Samoa, fostering sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life for all its residents.[3] |
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| —Nikolao Pula’s campaign website (2024)[4] | |||||
Campaign finance summary
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Notable endorsements
See also
| American Samoa | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
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Candidate Governor of American Samoa |
Officeholder Governor of American Samoa |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Republican National Committee, "RNC Statement on Governor-elect Pulaalii Nikolao Pula and Governor Arnold Palacios Joining the GOP," January 6, 2025
- ↑ Pula & Pulu for Governor and Lt. Governor, "About," accessed October 18, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Nikolao Pula’s campaign website, “Platform,” accessed October 18, 2024
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Lemanu Palepoi Mauga (D) |
Governor of American Samoa 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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