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Ralph Torres
Ralph Torres (Republican Party) was the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. He assumed office on December 29, 2015. He left office on January 9, 2023.
Torres (Republican Party) ran for re-election for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. He lost in the general runoff election on November 25, 2022.
Torres also served as a representative and senator in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Legislature.[1]
Torres was an RNC delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from the Northern Mariana Islands.
On January 12, 2022, the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives voted to impeach Torres on felony allegations of theft, corruption, and neglect of duty. To remove the governor from office, six members of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate would have to vote in favor of conviction. Torres has denied the charges against him.[2]
Biography
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science from Boise State University in 2001, Torres began working as a lawyer in the Northern Mariana Islands. He worked at Torres Brothers, LLC, until 2008, when he entered government service.[3]
Elections
2022
See also: Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022
General runoff election
General runoff election for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
Arnold I. Palacios defeated incumbent Ralph Torres in the general runoff election for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on November 25, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Arnold I. Palacios (Independent) | 54.1 | 7,394 |
 | Ralph Torres (R) | 45.9 | 6,263 | |
| Total votes: 13,657 | |||
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General election
General election for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands
Incumbent Ralph Torres and Arnold I. Palacios advanced to a runoff. They defeated Christina Sablan in the general election for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ralph Torres (R) | 38.8 | 5,728 |
| ✔ | | Arnold I. Palacios (Independent) | 33.2 | 4,890 |
 | Christina Sablan (D) | 28.0 | 4,132 | |
| Total votes: 14,750 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ralph Torres did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Political career
Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (2015-2023)
In December 2015, Torres was sworn in as the governor of the CMNI after Gov. Eloy Inos passed away. According to the Saipan Tribune, "Torres became the youngest ever to serve as CNMI governor. He is also believed to be the first governor to have served in the Senate."[4]
Lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands (2014-2015)
Torres served as lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2014 to 2015. He was elected to the position in 2014. He left the position after assuming office as governor in December 2015.[5]
CMNI Legislature (2008-2014)
Torres served as a representative in the CMNI Legislature from 2008 to 2010. He became a senator in 2010.[1]
Support for Donald Trump
Prior to the Norther Mariana Islands' caucus in March 2016, Torres supported the candidacy of Donald Trump (R). Torres told The Wall Street Journal that his support for Trump was based on Trump's attention to the U.S. Territories, saying, "He is the only candidate remaining who has emphasized the importance of the commonwealth areas. ... He is the only candidate that I believe would give the attention we need in the White House."[6] A week before the caucus, Politico reported that Torres' "endorsement all but guarantees the mogul will win the territory’s nine delegates."[7] Trump won all nine delegates in the territory's caucus.[8]
2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Rules committee
- See also: RNC Rules Committee, 2016
Torres was a member of the RNC Rules Committee, a 112-member body responsible for crafting the official rules of the Republican Party, including the rules that governed the 2016 Republican National Convention.[9]
Appointment process
The convention Rules Committee in 2016 consisted of one male and one female delegate from each state and territorial delegation. The Rules of the Republican Party required each delegation to elect from its own membership representatives to serve on the Rules Committee.
External links
See also
2022 Elections
Government
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, "Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor," accessed June 28, 2016
- ↑ Marianas Variety, "House votes 15 to 4 to impeach governor," January 12, 2022
- ↑ National Governors Association, "Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres," accessed June 28, 2016
- ↑ Saipan Tribune, "Torres becomes governor; Hocog is lt. gov.," December 30, 2015
- ↑ VoteCNMI.gov, "2014 General Election Results," archived November 30, 2014
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Far From the U.S. Mainland, Northern Mariana Islands Hold GOP Caucus," March 13, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Trump gains an edge in Northern Marianas," March 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Trump wins 9 delegates in Northern Mariana Islands," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's list of 2016 RNC Rules Committee members is based on an official list from the Republican National Committee obtained by Ballotpedia on June 24, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Eloy Inos (R) |
Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands 2015-2023 |
Succeeded by Arnold I. Palacios (R) |
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