Republicans Flip Guam Governor's Office as Democrats Concede

Republicans have taken back the governor’s office in Guam. Vice Speaker Tony Ada and running mate E.J. Calvo finished ahead of Democratic Sens. Therese Terlaje and Sabina Perez in the U.S. territory’s gubernatorial race, according to final unofficial results from the Guam Election Commission reported by the Guam Daily Post.

The Post reported that the commission’s 1:30 a.m. Wednesday release, Guam time, showed Ada and Calvo with 15,945 votes, or 51.45%, to 14,925 votes, or 48.15%, for Terlaje and Perez. That is a margin of 1,020 votes. The results remain unofficial until the commission certifies them, the Post noted.

Congratulations to Governor-Elect Tony Ada and Lt. Governor-Elect EJ Calvo on your big victory in Guam! pic.twitter.com/hL70cmkCn7

— Republican State Leadership Committee (@RSLC) November 3, 2026

Terlaje called Ada to concede at about 1:40 a.m. local time, according to both the Guam Daily Post and the Pacific Daily News. “She just congratulated E.J. and I on our successful bid for governor and lieutenant governor. I thank her for that,” Ada told the Post.

Ada also praised the tone of the contest, telling the Post that “the general respect we had for each other was first and foremost and top-notch.” Terlaje struck a gracious note with her own supporters. “We have a lot of hope still and we will never stop fighting for Guam,” she said in remarks captured by the Pacific Daily News.

A comeback after early Democratic lead

The night did not start in Republicans’ favor. The Guam Daily Post reported that early returns showed the Democratic ticket ahead by a razor-thin 80 votes before later batches reversed the trend. Partial counts posted by the election tracker VoteHub on X showed Terlaje and Perez narrowly ahead with 21 of 59 precincts in, and Ada and Calvo leading 51.1% to 48.6% once 38 precincts had reported.

The win ends eight years of Democratic control of the governor’s office. According to the Post, term-limited Democratic Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero had succeeded former Republican Gov. Eddie Calvo. The Republican State Leadership Committee congratulated “Governor-Elect Tony Ada and Lt. Governor-Elect EJ Calvo” on their “big victory in Guam” in a post on X.

Republicans hold the Legislature, lose the delegate seat

The GOP also appears positioned to keep control of the territory’s lawmaking body. The Guam Daily Post reported that Republicans claimed eight of the top 15 spots in the legislative race, putting the party in position for a narrow majority in the incoming 39th Guam Legislature. Isla Public Media likewise reported Republicans winning eight of 15 seats.

It was not a clean sweep. Isla Public Media reported that Democrat Alicia Limtiaco defeated Republican Del. James Moylan for Guam’s non-voting seat in the U.S. House. In the race for attorney general, Phillip Tydingco led incumbent Douglas Moylan 38.29% to 33.08% in the five-way contest, according to the Post.

Turnout reached 53.11%, with 31,414 ballots cast out of 59,146 registered voters, the Guam Daily Post reported, citing the election commission.

An early marker on a long night

Because Guam sits across the international date line, its results arrive hours before polls close on the U.S. mainland, giving Republicans an early win to point to on election night. Mainland races for the House, the Senate and dozens of governorships were still being counted Tuesday evening, and Daily Beltway will continue to track the results as they come in.

Sources

• Guam Daily Post: Ada-Calvo lead governor’s race by 1,020 votes
• Guam Daily Post: Ada-Calvo come out ahead as apparent winners
• Pacific Daily News: Terlaje-Perez concede
• Isla Public Media: Guam election results
• Republican State Leadership Committee on X
• VoteHub on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.