Pacific Daily News: https://www.guampdn.com/news/former-us-attorney-alicia-limtiaco-makes-her-guam-delegate-bid-official/article_08d56ecf-8f53-47f0-840f-53b06b3aebbb.html
Former U.S. Attorney for Guam and Northern Marianas Alicia G. Limtiaco on Sunday made her candidacy for Guam’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives official, grounding her campaign in her decades-long career in both local and federal legal institutions.
She’s so far the only Democrat to announce candidacy for delegate.
Limtiaco, a former attorney general for Guam, described her calling to serve as an urgent need for “strategic, knowledgeable representation” in Washington, D.C.
“Representation matters,” Limtiaco said. “It determines whether we shape federal decisions or simply absorb their consequences.”
Speaking before family members gathered in person and online, Limtiaco framed her decision as a continuation of responsibility shaped by being born and raised on Guam and decades of public service, according to her campaign team.
On the Republican side, incumbent Del. James Moylan will potentially face off with former senator Mary Torres. Candidate packets have already been picked up for Moylan, Torres and Limtiaco.
Rooted in family, discipline
Limtiaco opened her remarks by reflecting on the influence of her late mother, Julia Garrido Limtiaco, whom she described as disciplined, steady, and unwavering in integrity.
“She believed your word was the only thing you truly owned,” Limtiaco said. “Not your title. Not your position. Your word.”
She credited both her mother and her father, Francisco “Kiko” Limtiaco, for shaping her approach to leadership, emphasizing accountability, discipline and listening before speaking.
That foundation, she said, guided her tenure as the first woman elected attorney general of Guam and later as U.S. attorney, as well as her subsequent work strengthening professional standards within Guam’s justice system as regulation counsel for the Supreme Court of Guam.
‘I have been here’
“I have been here. Boots on the ground. Working, building, and serving our people,” Limtiaco said, responding to a question she acknowledged has circulated publicly, “Where has Alicia been all these years?”
Limtiaco, since 2020, has been serving in the Judiciary of Guam, holding multiple positions, including her most recent position as regulation counsel for the Supreme Court of Guam.
As regulation counsel, she works to protect professional standards and safeguard the integrity of Guam’s legal institutions, emphasizing that public trust depends on credible systems.
Limtiaco was also appointed by the American Bar Association to represent the profession at the United Nations Economic and Social Council— the first attorney from Guam selected for that role—as well as appointed to the Board of Governors of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, another first for Guam.
Limtiaco characterized these roles as substantive rather than ceremonial, reflecting access, credibility, and influence in institutions where policy and standards are shaped.
She cited:
- Coalition-building efforts to combat violence against women and children across Guam and the Pacific.
- Securing federal grants and negotiating policy frameworks.
- Working inside institutional systems where funding formulas and legal standards are shaped.
“Real change does not always happen in front of a microphone,” she said. “More often, it happens across a negotiation table. In a brief filed on time. In a policy clause written carefully enough to withstand scrutiny.”
Limtiaco said these appointments are not ceremonial.
“They are about access. And in federal systems, access determines outcomes,” she said.
‘Be present’
Limtiaco is focusing on what she characterized as a pivotal decade ahead for Guam.
She cited accelerating military expansion, federal health care reimbursement formulas, energy dependence affecting cost of living, and the continued exclusion of Guam residents from certain federal programs, such as the Supplemental Security Income, SSI, benefits extended to states.
“Our manåmko, persons with disabilities, and veterans remain excluded from programs Congress already has the authority to extend,” she said.
Limtiaco also referenced Guam’s ongoing political status and self-determination discussions, stressing that “whatever path the people ultimately pursue, requires disciplined engagement within federal institutions.”
“Guam needs representation that has experience capable of navigating complex legal and federal processes,” she added.
While Guam’s delegate to Congress cannot vote on the House floor, Limtiaco argued that influence is built in committee negotiations, appropriations drafting, and coalition formation long before legislation reaches a vote.
“Influence in Washington is rarely exercised on the House floor,” she said. “It is built in relationships before negotiations begin. I understand that my responsibility is to be present in those rooms.”
Key priorities
Limtiaco emphasized that her campaign will focus on disciplined, structural advocacy rather than symbolic politics.
She identified key priorities including:
- Securing federal parity for Guam residents.
- Ensuring military expansion strengthens, rather than strains, local infrastructure.
- Addressing cost-of-living pressures through federal policy leverage.
- Expanding federal access and benefits for seniors, veterans, and persons with disabilities.
“This is not a moment for token symbolism,” Limtiaco said. “It is a moment for disciplined leadership. For sustained influence. For unwavering advocacy.”
Formal declaration
After what she described as deep reflection and conversations with her family, Limtiaco formally declared her candidacy.
“I do not take this step lightly,” she said. “The next decade will determine whether Guam shapes federal decisions or simply absorbs their consequences.”
Closing her remarks, she returned to the campaign theme that has defined her announcement.
“Representation matters,” she said. “Because Guam matters. Because our families matter. Because our children matter.”
Limtiaco concluded by asking for the community’s blessing, support, and vote as she seeks to represent Guam in Congress.