Over in the CNMI, a new coalition of Independents and Democrats will take now take over Republicans as the majority in the next Senate. And all three Senators elected to represent Saipan are women. The Republican majority is no more in the incoming NMI Senate with 3 independents and two democrats now forming a coalition.

Rep. Celina Babauta was the top vote-getter in a 5-way Saipan Senate race this year, with over 5,700 or a quarter of the vote. Next year, all three Senators from Saipan will be women.

"We are not unreasonable. We are not uncompromising. This is democracy in action," she said previously, during the legislative committee investigations that led to Governor Ralph Torres’ impeachment. She is now seeking to be the next Senate president.

Babauta noted when asked how she's described the Senate before as a "rubber stamp", and how she would change that, "As they saw in my current term in the House of Representatives I will continue to be vigilant and hold everyone accountable. I'm sorry, whether you are a relative or not. Whether I endorsed you in the run-off. My work remains that I will be loyal to the constitution."

Fellow House lawmaker Corina Magofna won the second Senate seat with over 5,000 votes. "The people have spoken. I did not win this. This is for the people," she said.

After winning a special election for Precinct 3 a year ago with over 1,000 votes as a Democrat, she’s now under the Independent banner. Magofna said, "I know that my time in the House was very short but I wanted the people to have a choice at the Senate…Seeing the composition at the Senate during the impeachment hearing really fueled the fire for me personally. There has to be a better way."

Magofna and Babauta are both supporting Independents Palacios-Apatang in the gubernatorial run-off. If they win, it would solidify the coalition’s control of the legislature and executive branch.