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Fitial to host birthday fundraiser today
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Posted on Nov 26 2004
Less than a month after officially announcing his decision to run for governor in 2005, House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial is kicking off his gubernatorial campaign with a birthday party fundraiser at the Pacific Islands Club today.
The Speaker, who turns 59 today, Nov. 27, is set to challenge incumbent Gov. Juan Nekai Babauta in a rematch next year. Back in 2001, Babauta of the Republican Party garnered some 5,000 votes to win control of the administration. Fitial placed second in a field of four competing gubernatorial candidates, which included former Lt. Gov. Jesus Borja and former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio. Tenorio is also expected to campaign for governor next year.
In preparation for the general election of 2005, Fitial, a three-time Speaker of the House, will be sponsoring a dinner fundraiser, from 6pm to 10pm, to give supporters an opportunity to rally behind the Covenant Party and bring in a new leadership team and a new administration.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the door for a $50 campaign contribution. Checks can be made payable to the NMI Covenant Party, the beneficiary of the event.
Fitial and other concerned citizens founded the Covenant Party on Covenant Day, March 24, 2001. They said they founded the party “to protect the NMI’s Covenant agreement with the United States and fully realize its promise of economic prosperity and local self-government for its people.”
The party ran a highly successful campaign in the 2003 midterm election and swept control of the House of Representatives.
In his bid for the gubernatorial post, Fitial is joined by Vice Speaker Timothy P. Villagomez, who is widely expected to bolster the Covenant Party’s election prospects next year. (PR)
