Joel Camacho launches mayoral campaign 

11/10/2025 – Rep. Joel Castro Camacho wants to be Saipan’s next mayor. The four-term Precinct 4 lawmaker officially launched his campaign last Nov. 7 at his family home in Tanapag. 

“Our people deserve honest leadership that works for them day in and day out and leadership that puts the interest of the people first,” he told his family and supporters. 

Camacho said it’s his work in the villages that has moved him to want to serve the entire island. He noted that he has secured investments in community spaces, supported schools and retirees, worked on public safety enhancement projects, and supported policies to improve livelihoods. 

“I am ready to serve in a way that is closer to the community,” he said. “This is not about politics. This is about our community. This is about rolling up our sleeves, getting into our villages, and getting things done.”

In his speech, Camacho addressed different sectors of the community. For the island’s elders, Camacho said he would make sure programs respect and honor them. For the youth, he said he would expand opportunities for training, apprenticeships, mentorship, and activities that build confidence. He also said he will seek ways to reduce the burden on working parents at the municipal level. To the business community, Camacho said he would stand firmly with them.

“I am not promising miracles. I am simply promising one thing: hard work, real work, daily work that has been proven for the last seven years and ongoing,” he said. “This campaign is not mine, it is ours.”

Camacho said he intends to run as an independent backed by Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao and House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, who plan to run for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. Several other lawmakers were in attendance to show their support for Camacho.

Before being elected to the House, Camacho worked as a program coordinator for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Recovery Coalition in 2012. He later served as a Senate legislative assistant in the Legislative Bureau from 2012 to 2018. 

He said his vision is to promote Saipan as a world-class destination while ensuring that the community thrives through progress, innovation, and inclusive development. 

By Thomas Manglona II