By Jayvee Vallejera
Guam’s incumbent delegate, James Moylan of the Republican Party of Guam, and his opponent, Ginger Cruz of the Democratic Party, exchanged volleys on Tuesday, bringing the campaign to boiling point wth two weeks left before the Nov. 5 elections.
In remarks during her launch of Platform 3.0 last Tuesday, Cruz elaborated on how she intends to run the delegate office and touched on the need for the office to have staff with the necessary experience and track record to push Guam’s agenda. That’s in contrast to how Moylan runs his office, which she said lacks a legislative director or policy director with the necessary experience.
Instead, she said, Moylan’s office staff is largely made up of interns and a few legislative assistants with a few years of experience.
She concedes that interns are hardworking men and women who are still in college, “but the reason that people intern in an office is so that they can learn from someone who is experienced, and that is the reason that they intern at those offices.”
That touched a nerve. Moylan said this only highlights Cruz’s inability to relate to the people of Guam and the values of inafa'maolek (harmony) and respetu (respect).
Moylan said Cruz’s continued yo throw barbs at the staff of the Guam Congressional Office is also “very insulting” to the hundreds of constituents his staff have helped since he became Guam’s delegate in the U.S. Congress in 2022.
Moylan pointed out that his team has helped reunite families, provided a pathway for disability claims for Guam veterans, helped youth sports teams travel to foreign countries, secured visas to obtain manpower to repair telecommunications and energy infrastructure after Typhoon Mawar hit Guam in May 2023, and saved lives by obtaining emergency passports for those who needed immediate medical treatment in the Philippines.
“This wasn't just about doing a job but ensuring our people were cared for,” he added.
Moylan also pointed an accusatory finger at his Democratic opponent, saying her campaign violates federal law by promising federal jobs in return for political favors or activity.
He did not cite a specific example of this in his six-paragraph statement, but he also alleged that Cruz’s campaign called some of his employees and offered them jobs in return for information. “This includes individuals who used to work for our office,” he added.
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Cruz said this is false. She said her campaign’s current focus is solely on the election and assured that, if elected, everybody who is going to work for her office will go through a “very rigorous process”—they will be made to submit resumés and everyone will be selected for positions based on their experience.
“I've made this a commitment from the very beginning. …Every single person will be hired based on their experience, their capability and their knowledge of Guam or knowledge of Congress and their ability to work really, really hard,” she added during Tuesday’s news briefing.
Cruz also said she will not have political hires—people who are hired just because they campaigned for her or because they showed up at her campaign sorties. “I am going to have people that are highly qualified for every single position because that is what the people of Guam deserve and that is what the taxpayers are paying for,” she said.
This early, Cruz said she is already working with members of Congress who have linked her by sending her resumés of people that have extensive amounts of experience in Congress “and we're going to look at that because bringing in somebody who has that knowledge and then putting the Guam team that has all the experience with Guam policy around them and…having a staff that really is ready to go on Day 1, that is something is very important to me and something that I am committing to the people of Guam that we will do,” she said.
Moylan said he stands with his policy team because they delivered more for Guam in less than two years than Cruz did in 20 years. “Our team works tirelessly to ensure the needs of our island are prioritized,” he said.
That includes securing over $3.2 billion in investments in 2024 that resulted in excess tax collections that will improve local government services, he said.
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“They have built networks that benefit Guam and that truly matters.”
Cruz said it’s worth noting that Moylan does not refute a fundamental issue: the lack of professional qualifications in the team he has tasked with leading Guam’s legislative efforts in Congress.
“For all of his claims about constituent accomplishments, there is little emphasis on policy success and no mention of any of his staff possessing a law degree, senior public policy experience, or significant expertise in running congressional operations in Washington D.C.,” she said.
Cruz noted that the lack of a legislative director for Guam’s congressional office is a disservice to the voters of Guam who expect the office to be built for success.
She also noted that this is a disservice to the office’s two legislative assistants and 10 interns that are paid very low stipends while being given the bulk of the legislative tasks, while the office’s administrative staff and managers are getting much higher salaries and bonuses.
Cruz noted that it was also disappointing that the interns were not given an opportunity to learn from expert legislative staff, as none were part of the office structure.
She believes this lack of professional experience potentially explains why Moylan “has no plan, no platform, and no clear direction for Guam.”
“Instead of providing a concrete vision for our island’s future, he continues to criticize and distract, offering nothing substantive for the people of Guam to rely on. This isn’t professionalism; this is inexperience at its core,” she added.
Cruz also accused Moylan of hypocrisy for running political ads using his office’s funds, which she vows not to do.
Also, Cruz said, Moylan has failed to address the defections from his office—many staff members who have left, reportedly due to concerns about the ethical direction of his operation.
“His office has become a sinking ship, with questions looming about potential ethics violations—questions that only Jim and his senior staff can answer,” she added.
Cruz said Guam deserves representation led by true professionals who are experienced, qualified, and have the integrity to serve—"not an office mired in ethical uncertainty and lacking any coherent vision for our island’s future.”
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