ELECTIONS ON GUAM, 1970-2002

Authors

Donald R. Shuster, University of GuamFollow

Abstract

Guam, taken as a spoil of the 1898 Spanish-American War, has since been an unincorporated U.S. territory in the western Pacific. Although U.S. citizenship was conferred on the island people by the 1950 Organic Act, the chief executive was not popularly elected until 1970. This article describes electoral politics and parties on Guam: candidates, campaigns, results, and analyses. The first seven gubernatorial elections are surveyed, and the contests of 1998,2000, and 2002 are described in detail. The 1998 race, an especially contentious one, was finally settled by a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The 2002 governorship contest pitted media power and careful strategy against activism and an effort to empower voters. As with many Pacific island societies, Guam's politics are colorful, faction ridden, and provide an interesting example of democratic process at work in a small-scale society.

Recommended Citation

Shuster, Donald R. (2004) "ELECTIONS ON GUAM, 1970-2002," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 27: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol27/iss1/2