The Saipan Chamber of Commerce will host a debate between the CNMI’s two candidates for delegate to the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, September 9, past Chamber president and current board member Joe Guerrero announced on Good Morning Marianas.
Incumbent Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds and Galvin Sablan Deleon Guerrero, who is on leave as Northern Marianas College president, will take questions centered on business, the economy and jobs. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the debate at 6:30 p.m. at the Ada Gym in Oleai.
Tickets are $10, sold in advance only; none will be sold at the door, and only ticketed guests will be admitted. Purchases are nonrefundable, and Chamber members may request an invoice. Tickets are available at the Chamber office on the second floor of the Marianas Business Plaza in Susupe, through saipanchamber.com, or by calling (670) 234-7150. Guerrero said the price covers event costs only: “This is not a fundraiser.”
The debate will not be livestreamed. Guerrero said the Chamber weighed production difficulty and cost and will instead record the event and share it across different media afterward; audience recording will not be permitted. Campaign material is barred inside: no candidate ads, banners, shirts or stickers, with rallying kept outside. Local food vendors will sell refreshments outside the gym, with no alcohol.
Guerrero, who served as Chamber president for multiple terms and now also co-chairs the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers and sits on the Marianas Visitors Authority board, said the Chamber welcomes the number of forums this cycle, citing debates by the Northern Marianas Descent Corporation and Marianas Press. “I’ve always been a champion of elections being about issues,” he said, adding that whoever wins should be held accountable to what they promise, and floated the idea of mid-term debates. He also urged the next administration toward regular press conferences and a dedicated press secretary.
“If you don’t vote, then you almost don’t have a right to complain,” Guerrero said, encouraging residents to register, vote, and offer neighbors rides to the polls.
