Republican Vicente Ada has won the governor’s race in the U.S. territory of Guam, defeating Democrat Therese Terlaje 51 percent to 48 percent in one of the earliest results of the November 3 midterm elections.
According to reported totals, Ada and running mate Josh Tenorio’s ticket received 15,945 votes (51.5 percent) to 14,925 votes (48.1 percent) for Terlaje and her running mate Perez, with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
Terlaje is a territorial legislator who previously served as Speaker of the Guam Legislature. Ada is a sitting Guam senator who had previously run for lieutenant governor.
The win ends eight years of Democratic control of Guam’s governorship. It follows a shift in 2024, when Republicans won nine of the Guam Legislature’s 15 seats, flipping that body as well.
One comparison circulating alongside the results noted the scale of the swing: Democrats carried the governor’s race by 11.4 points in 2022, while Republicans won it by 3.4 points this year.
President Donald Trump said he was pleased with the result, which stands as the first Republican win reported in this year’s midterm cycle.
The result is not yet final. It remains unofficial until the Guam Election Commission completes its canvass and formally certifies the election.
Background on Guam’s Status
Guam became a U.S. territory in 1898 and was initially administered by the U.S. Navy. The Guam Organic Act of 1950 established the territory’s government, granted U.S. citizenship to Guamanians, and transferred federal jurisdiction over the island from the Navy to the Department of the Interior.
