Arnold Indalecio Palacios (born August 22, 1955) is a Northern Mariana Islands

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and a member of the Republican Party

Republican Party (Northern Mariana Islands)

The Republican Party is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. In the 2001 gubernatorial election Juan Babauta of the Republican Party won with 42.8% of the vote...

.

Palacios is the current Speaker

Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...

 of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives

Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives

The Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives is the lower house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature.In the 2007 election cycle, the CNMI House membership was increased from 18 to 20...

 as of October 2009. He was sworn in on January 14, 2008, as the Speaker of the House's 16th Legislature. He represents Election District 3 in the House, which encompasses portions of Saipan

Saipan

Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...

 and the Northern Islands.

Palacios was the running mate

Running mate

A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...

 of gubernatorial candidate Heinz Hofschneider

Heinz Hofschneider

Heinz Sablan Hofschneider is a Northern Mariana Islands politician. Hofschneider served as the Speaker of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives until 2003....

 in the 2009 election

Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election, 2009

The Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election, 2009 was held on November 7, 2009 to determine the Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands....

. If elected, Palacios would have become the next Lieutenant Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Palacios is married Wella Sablan Palacios. The couple have four children - Arnold Gerard, Nicole, Tiana and Eric.