Gregorio Sablan

For 30 years, beginning in 1978, citizens of the CNMI elected a Resident Representative, commonly known as Washington representative, an office established by Article V of the Constitution of the Northern Mariana Islands for the purpose of representing the CNMI in the United States capital and performing related official duties established by CNMI law.

In 2008, the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, signed into law by President George W. Bush, replaced the position of resident representative with a nonvoting delegate to the House of Representatives. The other United States insular areas, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, as well as the District of Columbia, already had nonvoting delegates to Congress. The new position received the power to serve in congressional committees, to introduce bills, and to vote on proposed legislation in committee, but still had limited powers on the House floor, lacking the right to vote on legislation on the House floor.

The election of the first delegate was set for November 4, 2008. It was the only contest on the ballot, as local elections in the CNMI occurred in odd-numbered years through 2009 and residents of the CNMI do not have the right to vote in United States presidential elections.

Sitting Resident Representative Pedro A. Tenorio, a Republican, announced his candidacy for the new office. David Cing, a former member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, received the nomination of the Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands, which is not officially affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Seven independents also ran for the office, including Sablan. Although Sablan was traditionally affiliated with the Democratic Party, he chose to run as an independent.

In the CNMI's first federal election, fewer than 13,000 people registered to vote in the election, and 79 percent of those who registered voted in the election.[8]

During the campaign, Sablan stated that as delegate, he would seek to bring more federal funding for education, more federal funding for health care, and federal funding for a more productive search for effective alternative energy sources to the CNMI. He also said that as delegate he will introduce and pursue passage of submerged lands legislation that would give the CNMI economic rights and regulation for submerged lands and waters out 200 miles from the islands. He also supports federal funding for a United States Coast Guard station in the CNMI, although one already exists in neighboring Guam.

Sablan was elected the CNMI's first delegate to the House of Representatives on November 4, 2008, receiving 2,474 votes, or 23% of the vote. He defeated Tenorio, who received 20%, by only 357 votes. Other close competitors included fellow independents John Gonzales, who received 18.73% of the vote, and Juan Lizama, who received 17.34%.[8][9]

In a four-way race, Sablan received 4,896 votes (43%) defeating the Covenant Party's Joe Camacho (2,744), the Republican Party's former Governor Juan Babauta (1,978) and Democrat former Lieutenant Governor Jesus Borja (1,707) in the 2010 general election.[10]

Sablan received 9,829 votes (80%) of the votes to Republican Ignacia T. Demapan's 2,503 votes in the November 2012 general election. Sablan is the first political candidate to record such a high winning total over an opponent.[11]

Sablan won the November 2014 election with 65.3% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Andrew Sablan Salas.[12]

Sablan successfully ran unopposed in the November 2016 election.[13]

Sablan won the November 2018 election, which was delayed for a week due to the impact of Typhoon Yutu, with 64.6% of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Angel Demapan.[14]

Sablan successfully ran unopposed in the November 2020 election.[15]

Sablan assumed office on January 3, 2009, and was sworn in on January 6. Sablan decided to caucus with the Democratic Party.[2] Several dignitaries from the Northern Mariana Islands attended Sablan's swearing-in-ceremony by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including Governor Benigno Fitial and his wife, First Lady Josie Fitial, as well as the outgoing CNMI Resident Representative in Washington, Pete Tenorio, whom Sablan defeated in the 2008 election.[7]

On February 10, 2009, Sablan introduced submerged lands legislation which would give the CNMI "the same benefits in its submerged lands as Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have in their submerged lands." The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 416–0 on July 15, 2009[16] but stalled in the Senate.[17]

Sablan has also introduced a bill which would provide for the establishment of Job Corps centers in U.S. territories and a bill which would authorize college tuition grants of up to $15,000 per year to graduates of CNMI high schools. The latter bill would also allow CNMI students to pay "in-state tuition" at any public college or university in the United States.[18] Both bills stalled in the House.[19][20]

As of September 2018, Sablan had sponsored two bills and cosponsored 37 that ultimately became law.[21]

As delegate, Sablan has sought and often secured earmarks, energy grants, and other federal funding for projects in the CNMI. Much of this funding came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The ARRA did not include the CNMI in a 13.86% across-the-board increase in food stamp benefits nationally, but Sablan successfully lobbied Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to reprogram $1.459 million to give the Northern Marianas the same 13.86% increase as the rest of the country.[22]

According to a report released by AOL News in July 2010, by the end of June 2010 (nine months into the US Government's fiscal year), Sablan had spent more money from his Members Representational Allowances on food than any other congressman with $23,457.[23] Sablan claimed that the amount was used to refund staffers for various travel costs.[24]

• Committee on Education and Labor
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions
• Committee on Natural Resources (Vice Chair for Insular Affairs)
  • Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs[25]
  • Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs[26]

Whip, Region II, Democratic Caucus

• American Citizens Abroad Caucus
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus[27]
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus[28]
• Congressional Victim's Rights Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[29]
• National Marine Sanctuary Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus[30]
• U.S.-Japan Caucus[31]