Romney wins entire Guam delegation

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the unanimous vote among Guam Republicans to pledge all nine of their delegates to his presidential campaign.

The vote was passed Saturday by all 207 of the 215 registered Republicans in attendance at their yearly convention.

"I am grateful to have won all nine delegates in Guam," Romney said in a statement after the vote. "The people of Guam have always stood bravely for America and the values we hold dear. Today we stand together in our efforts to secure the future that this nation deserves."

Guam's delegates represent less than 1% of the 1,144 votes needed to win the Republican nomination. While the delegates of the pacific island are unpledged, the unanimous support ensures that all nine will vote to nominate Romney at the national convention this August in Tampa, Florida.

The support of Guam's Republicans brings Romney's current delegate count to 438, CNN estimates.

"The focus of Guam is much like the rest of the United States," said Gov. Eddie Baza Calvo. "With that in mind, it's important for us to have a nominee who understands the economy."

Calvo, who pledged his support for Romney after a phone call with him on Friday, spoke about the effect unfunded mandates and government regulation have on an island in the same time zone as Japan.

"Mitt Romney has done business domestically, internationally and run a state government," Calvo said, citing Romney's experience helps him understand the needs of Guam. He noted the island's unemployment rate of about 13%, which factored in his choice of a candidate with business experience.

The governor announced his support for Romney publicly before the convention delegation ahead of the vote. His support may have contributed to the unanimity of the delegation. An informal poll taken as delegates entered the meeting showed Romney with the support of 83% of the voters. Only 181 of the participants took part in the poll.

Guam is one of five U.S. territories that have delegates with voting privileges at the Republican National Convention in August in Tampa. The others are American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.