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Post-primary

Monday, 03 Sep 2012 03:30am
VARIETY NEWS STAFF
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SOME thoughts about Saturday’s primary election, in no particular order:

  • It looks like we won’t be picking any Moe Cotton. The clever play on words using his name stirred up some interest on Facebook and a bit of comment here, but that didn’t translate into enough votes to keep the realtor in the game. His one-issue campaign for a part-time Legislature also failed to hit the target with voters;

  • Madeleine Bordallo remains a prodigious vote-getter. Her unofficial total of 7,853 was more than any other candidate in the partisan races, and she beat her Democratic opponent, Karlo Dizon, 73 percent to 26 percent;

  • Dizon ought to find a way to stick around for 2014. He proved to be a capable campaigner with both personal and professional appeal. If Madeleine wins in November, it will undoubtedly be her last term;
  • Sen. Frank Blas Jr. has his work cut out for him. Assuming a fair proportion of the Democratic vote stays with Madeleine, he probably cannot defeat her unless there is some significant wheeling and dealing. That’s always possible, and some are saying it’s inevitable;
  • The largest number of votes for the day went to Doris Flores Brooks, the Public Auditor, who pulled in 14,472 against former Gov. Carl Gutierrez’s 4,842. That write-in total for Carl is pretty astounding, but it simply sets this race up for a re-run on Nov. 6, this time with the former governor’s name printed on the ballot so folks will not need to write him in. That is unlikely to make enough of a difference. Anybody, Republican, Democrat or Independent, could vote on this ballot Saturday, and nearly 23,000 did. Short of a much larger turnout and a significant shift of voter opinion in November, Brooks seems likely to be re-elected;
  • It’s a big risk for the former governor. If he expends most of his considerable political capital on this race, and loses, his elected political career may well be over;
  • Jonathan Diaz’s political career should be over. He got only 84 people to forego the opportunity to vote in any of the other races and cast a vote for his Independent candidacy for delegate. Considering all the noise he made, that was a pretty small return;
  • The Guam Election Commission acquitted itself very well. Executive Director Maria Pangelinan and her staff of both full-time and temporary workers did, by most accounts, a superb job.

Finally, there are several incumbent senators whose political futures are in doubt. You can figure out who they are by looking at the primary results. The top five of each party are pretty much assured of election. The remaining five seats, and the majority control of the 32nd Legislature, are up for grabs.

Comments  

 
0 #3 Ron McNinch 2012-09-04 00:45
This was an average turnout for a primary in the off cycle.
43 percent is average.
 
 
+5 #2 nita 2012-09-03 16:58
I don't know what Mathew is talking about. I saw the interview and I thought Gutierrez was consoling Dizon to not be discouraged and continue to be visible in the political arena because he made a name for himself when he joined the race. I read into the interview that Gutierrez will be supporting Bordallo again in the general election. The next two months will be interesting. Gutierrez will overtake Doris when the campaign starts heating up. Listening to Ray Gibson this morning mentioning the spoiled and blank OPA ballots amounting to 600+ spoiled and 2300 blank with gutierrez name written in but the oval was not marked. I guess Gutierrez would have received over 7000 votes. Now please tell me who can amass 7000 "write-in" votes in two weeks of campaigning. Gutierrez will pull this off in November. You are wrong in you editorial Jon Anderson.
 
 
+1 #1 Mathew 2012-09-03 08:45
The reason for the low -- and lower -- turnout every election cycle is not just because it is the same faces, more or less, that are seeking office, but because no matter who the voters place into office, the latter's quality of life does not improve or falls below expectations. There is no plausible link between someone who received great experience from the States
that that would translate into success for the people of Guam. Reason: There are many factors for someone being successful somewhere else, none of which might apply here because of the level of crony capitalism, nepotism and corruption, that one has to deal with, in order to be -- or become -- successful.

Specifically, people here do not make wholesale changes. The odd year was 2004 after the GRT hike, which saved Gov Guam, ironically. They tend to make small-scale changes, such as removing Jesse Lujan, and in this election cycle, probably a few incumbents, of both parties. On the Delegate race, I have to call it a toss-up now, instead of leaning Bordallo. Why? The overly-enthusiastic support of one Carl Gutierrez for Mr. Dizon on election night.

Finally, in the Biblical context, if you have religious self-determination (to mean salvation), you will have economic self-determination (God will take care of your needs), and, therefore, no need for political self-determination. (Jesus Christ never called for the Holy Land to be liberated from Roman occupation.)
 

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