Governor of American Samoa
Tulafono was sworn in as the Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa under Governor Tauese Sunia on January 3, 1997. Sunia and Tulafono were re-elected in 2000 and sworn into their second terms in office on January 3, 2001.
Tulafono remained lieutenant governor until Sunia's sudden death from a heart attack on March 26, 2003. Tulafono became acting governor until he was formally swown into office as Governor of American Samoa on April 7, 2003.
In the first round of elections on November 2, 2004, Tulafono received 48.4% of the vote. In the second round on November 16, Tulafono defeated Afoa Moega Lutu, who had run against him for the position of Lieutenant Governor in 2000, by a vote of 56%-44%. As Governor, Tulafano is a member of the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association.
Tulafono endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for President of the United States during the 2008 presidential primaries and the American Samoa Democratic caucuses, 2008 and became the national co-chair of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Hillary.
It was under Tulafono's leadership that American Samoa became, in November 2011, a founding member of the Polynesian Leaders Group, a regional grouping intended to cooperate on a variety of issues including culture and language, education, responses to climate change, and trade and investment.
Read more about this topic: Togiola Tulafono
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