Josh Tenorio

Joshua "Josh" Franquez Tenorio is a Guamanian Democratic politician and businessman, the tenth and current Lieutenant Governor of Guam, since January 2019. He is the first openly gay Lieutenant Governor elected in the United States.

Josh Tenorio
Guam Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio
Lieutenant Governor of Guam
Incumbent
Assumed office January 7, 2019
Governor	Lou Leon Guerrero
Preceded by	Ray Tenorio
Personal details
Born	Joshua Franquez Tenorio
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Guam (BA)

Early life

Tenorio is the son of the late Jesus Atoigue Tenorio, a retired telephone man, and Therese Franquez Tenorio, a retired school teacher. His father was killed by a drunk driver in 1994.

He was elected to the Guam Youth Congress in 1989 at the age of 15 and served for three terms, culminating in his election as Speaker of the Guam Youth Congress in 1991. He graduated from the Guam Community College Vocational High School in 1991.

He attended the University of Guam from 1991 to 1996, receiving a BA in political science and history.

Career

Tenorio's career began as legislative assistant to Representative Robert A. Underwood's offices in Guam and Washington, D.C. He served in that role from 1993 to 1998.[1]

Starting in 1998, Tenorio served as deputy chief of staff to Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez. During that time, Tenorio briefly served as acting director of the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans and deputy director of the Bureau of Budget and Management Research. [1]

Tenorio managed response and recovery efforts for Supertyphoon Paka, 2001 Earthquake, Typhoon Chata'an, and Supertyphoon Pongsona as the Governor's Authorized Representative to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

After working for Governor Gutierrez, Tenorio became the executive director for the Democratic Party of Guam from 2003 to 2005.[1] and Judiciary Committee Director under Senator Randy Cunliffe in the Guam Legislature. From 2005 to 2007, he worked as a policy advisor to Senator Benjamin Cruz.

Between 2007 and 2011, Tenorio was an executive in Guam's construction industry and was associate publisher of GU Magazine. During the 2008 United States presidential election, Tenorio served as the caucus campaign manager for Barack Obama.[1]

In 2011, Tenorio was appointed as the director of policy, planning and community relations for the Judiciary of Guam including the Supreme Court of Guam. In 2013, he became the administrator of the courts.[1] During his tenure, Tenorio led efforts to improve the juvenile justice system and expand drug courts. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management at the National Center for State Courts, and is a Certified Court Executive.

In 2017, Tenorio returned to the private sector to serve as the vice president to Guam AutoSpot, a car dealership company.[2]

Tenorio is a volunteer with the Guam/CNMI Committee for the Employers Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and is a member of the Talofofo Rangers Lions Club of Guam. He previously served as Chairman of the Department of Chamorro Affairs Board of Trustees, Guam Historic Preservation Review Board, Guam Preservation Trust, Pa'a Taotao Tano, and Films By Youth Inside (FYI) Guam Advisory Board.

Lieutenant Governor

Campaign for Lieutenant Governor

In February 2017, Bank of Guam President Lourdes Aflague Leon Guerrero officially announced her bid to be the next Governor of Guam. The former senator selected Tenorio to be her running mate in the Democratic primaries. They beat three other tickets (the Aguon/Limtiaco ticket, the Gutierrez/Bordallo ticket, and the Rodriguez/Cruz ticket) with 32% of the primary vote to become the official nominees.

On November 6, 2018 Lou Leon Guerrero was elected as Guam's first female governor and Tenorio as the first openly gay Lieutenant Governor after defeating the Tenorio/Ada Ticket in the general election with 50.7% of the vote.

As Lt. Governor, Tenorio's focus remains on criminal justice improvements and the expansion of evidence based programs in the corrections and mental health systems. This includes an aggressive policy agenda to expand drug treatment programs, reduce youth detentions, and address racial disparities in the justice system.

Tenorio has also led efforts to improve Guam's public infrastructure and regulatory systems. He has statutory oversight over the expenditure of federal entitlements and competitive grant funds.

Personal life

Joshua Tenorio is openly gay.[3] He is a distant cousin to his predecessor, Ray Tenorio, whom the Leon Guerrero/Tenorio ticket beat in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

On August 12, 2020, Tenorio announced he tested positive to the COVID-19 virus and has experienced mild symptoms.[4]

Electoral history

Democratic primary results[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lou Leon Guerrero/Josh Tenorio	8,218	32.14
	Democratic	Frank B. Aguon Jr./Alicia Limtiaco	7,958	31.12
	Democratic	Carl T.C. Gutierrez/Fred E. Bordallo Jr.	5,609	21.94
	Democratic	Dennis G. Rodriguez Jr./David M. Cruz Jr.	3,761	14.71
	Democratic	Write-ins	22	0.09
Total votes			25,568	100.0

Guamanian gubernatorial election, 2018[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lou Leon Guerrero/Josh Tenorio	18,258	50.79
	Republican	Ray Tenorio/Tony Ada	9,487	26.39
	Democratic	Frank Aguon/Alicia Limtiaco (write-in)	8,205	22.82
Total votes			35,950	66.83

References

1. Post, Mindy Aguon | For the. "Tenorio resigns from judiciary". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
2. Carrera, Janela. "Joshua Tenorio named AutoSpot Vice President | PNC News First". pacificnewscenter.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
3. "Leon Guerrero, Tenorio join Pride March". The Guam Daily Post. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
4. "Lieutenant governor Josh Tenorio tests positive for COVID-19". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
5. "Summary Report – Unofficial Results". Gec.guam.gov. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
6. "UNOFFICIAL RESULTS General Election". Guam Election Commission. November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.