Arnold Indalecio Palacios (born August 22, 1955) is a Northern Marianan politician currently serving as the tenth

governor of the Northern Mariana Islands A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, since 2023. He previously served as the 12th

lieutenant governor of the Northern Mariana Islands The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands has a self-governing government consisting of a locally elected governor, lieutenant governor and the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The current lieutenant governor is David ...

from 2019 to 2023 and was a member of the

Northern Mariana Islands Senate The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts (Saipan & the Northern Islands, Tinian & Aguijan, a ...

and

Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. In the 2007 election cycle, the CNMI House membership was increased from 18 to 20. Representatives serve two-ye ...

. A lifelong member of the Republican party, he briefly left the party between 2021 and 2024, when he became the first independent to be elected as governor.

Early and personal life

Palacios was born August 22, 1955, on

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, the son of Dr. Francisco T. Palacios, a member of the

Marianas Political Status Commission The Marianas Political Status Commission was a body composed of representatives of the Northern Mariana Islands who negotiated the political status of the Northern Mariana Islands from December 1972 until February 1975. The Commission negotiated wi ...

. Palacios graduated from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

with a BS in business administration. Palacios is married to Wella Sablan Palacios and they have four children: Arnold Gerard, Nicole, Tiana, and Eric. He served as the Director of Fish and Wildlife during the 1990s.

Political career

Palacios represented Election District 3 in the

, which encompasses portions of

and the Northern Islands. He served as the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the House after being sworn in on January 14, 2008 during the 16th Legislature. Palacios was the

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

of gubernatorial candidate

Heinz Hofschneider Heinz Sablan Hofschneider (born July 1, 1957) is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. Hofschneider served as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004 and is a four-time candidate for Govern ...

in the 2009 gubernatorial election. While the ticket narrowly won in the first round, they would go on to lose to Covenant Party candidate

Benigno Fitial Benigno Repeki Fitial (born November 27, 1945) is a Northern Marianan politician who served as the seventh governor of the Northern Mariana Islands. The second longest-serving governor in CNMI history, Fitial was elected on November 6, 2005, assum ...

in the Islands' first run-off election. Between 2010 and 2014, Palacios served as Secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources under Governor

Eloy Inos Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos (September 26, 1949 – December 28, 2015) was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as ...

. In the 2014 general election, Palacios was elected to the

, alongside Justo Songao Quitugua, defeating seven candidates for two seats from the 3rd Senatorial District (

). He was sworn into office as a Senator in the 19th Commonwealth Legislature on January 12, 2015. At the start of the 19th Commonwealth Legislature, Palacios was elected Floor Leader by a unanimous roll call. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor

Ralph Torres Ralph Deleon Guerrero Torres (born August 6, 1979) is a Northern Marianan politician, who served as the ninth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands, from December 29, 2015, to January 9, 2023. He is a Republican from Saipan, Commonwealth of th ...

selected Palacios as his running mate. The ticket would go on to win in the first round, with Palacios becoming the twelfth person to serve as Lieutenant Governor. In 2021, Palacios announced he would be challenging Torres for the Governorship in the 2022 election, running with

mayor David M. Apatang as his running-mate. Palacios also announced that he would be running as an independent. After coming second in the first round, the eliminated Democratic candidate

Tina Sablan Christina-Marie Elise Sablan (born May 18, 1981), also known as Tina Sablan, is a Northern Marianan politician and former news anchor in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). A member of the Democratic Party, Sablan was a memb ...

endorsed the Palacios ticket, with a "unity pledge" being signed to align their similar policy goals. Palacios would win in the second round, with him being the first independent candidate to win a gubernatorial election in the Northern Mariana Islands. Following the election, Palacios appointed multiple Democrats to his cabinet, including Sablan's running mate

Leila Staffler Leila Haveia Fleming Clark Staffler is an American politician and educator who serves as the Secretary of Labor in the administration of Governor Arnold Palacios. She was confirmed on March 29, 2023 by the Northern Mariana Islands Senate. Prior t ...

. Palacios rejoined the Republican Party in December 2024. This was soon after Donald Trump's reelection as president of the United States, with Palacios justifying his decision as he believed Trump's vision and policies were aligned with his goal of bringing increased prosperity to the islands. Palacios reportedly made this decision in coordination with the national party, without consulting the local party leadership in the Northern Mariana Islands.

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Palacios, Arnold Living people Cabinet secretaries of the Northern Mariana Islands Governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Lieutenant governors of the Northern Mariana Islands Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Speakers of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives Portland State University alumni People from Saipan Republican Party governors of the Northern Mariana Islands 1955 births

Early and personal life

Political career

See also

References

External links