Republicans Tony Ada and EJ Calvo lead Guam’s governor’s race by 1,020 votes in final unofficial results, a Republican flip of the governor’s office at Adelup, the island’s seat of government, after eight years of Democratic control. The Guam Election Commission released the final unofficial count at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Guam time, with all 59 precincts counted, as reported by the Guam Daily Post. Democratic nominee Therese Terlaje told supporters she called Ada to concede, according to the Pacific Daily News.
Guam governor election results: a 1,020-vote Republican lead
Ada, the Legislature’s vice speaker, and running mate Calvo, a businessman, received 15,945 votes, or 51.45%. Democratic Sens. Therese Terlaje and Sabina Perez received 14,925 votes, or 48.15%, according to the Guam Election Commission figures reported by the Guam Daily Post. That is a lead of about 3.3 percentage points.
| Ticket | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Ada / EJ Calvo | Republican | 15,945 | 51.45% |
| Therese Terlaje / Sabina Perez | Democratic | 14,925 | 48.15% |
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The office was open. Democratic Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero is term-limited, as Marianas Press reported before the vote, and her term ends in January 2027.
The comeback from 80 votes down
Ada and Calvo did it from behind. Just before midnight Tuesday, with 21 of 59 precincts counted, Terlaje and Perez led by 80 votes, 5,243 to 5,163, the Pacific Daily News reported.
By about 1 a.m., with 38 precincts in, the Republican ticket had moved ahead 10,179 to 9,682. The lead kept growing until the last precinct was counted.
“GovGuam does not print money. The economy runs because of the private sector.”
Tony Ada, in a pre-election interview with Marianas Press
Republicans in line for a narrow Legislature majority
The good news for Republicans went down the ballot. Republicans hold eight of the top 15 spots in the race for the Guam Legislature, putting the party in line for a narrow majority in the incoming 39th Guam Legislature, the Guam Daily Post reported. Guam elects its 15 senators island-wide, and the top 15 vote-getters win seats.
That count turned during the night, too. The Pacific Daily News reported that the party split in the top 15 was reversed earlier in the count, before Republicans moved ahead.
Turnout tops 53%
A total of 31,414 ballots were cast, or 53.11% of Guam’s 59,146 registered voters, according to the commission figures reported by the Guam Daily Post. In the governor’s race, 30,994 valid votes were counted.
Guam is the first place in the United States to vote on Election Day. Because the island sits 15 hours ahead of the East Coast, its final unofficial count came in Tuesday morning, Eastern time. For races across the mainland, see our 2026 midterm elections guide.
What’s next: absentee ballots and certification
The results are unofficial until the Guam Election Commission certifies them. Absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day must arrive by 5 p.m. Nov. 18 to count, according to published election calendars. The commission is scheduled to certify the general election results Nov. 19, the Guam Daily Post reported.
Commission Chairman Gerard Crisostomo said election night that the results remain subject to the completion of the count, including provisional ballots and absentee ballots received by the legal deadline, according to the Guam Daily Post.
If the final unofficial count holds through certification, Ada and Calvo would take office in January 2027 with Republicans in line to control the Legislature.
