[1][2] The 1999 elections marked the first time a third party lawmaker was elected in the Northern Mariana Islands, with the newly formed Reform Party achieving a "stunning upset and defeat of formidable incumbent Senator Juan P. Tenorio (Morgen) by newcomer Ramon "Kumoi" Santos Deleon Guerrero.

"[3][4] The 1999 elections takes place in the aftermath of the Japanese asset price bubble and the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which saw as many as 2,000 businesses in the CNMI close down, severely affecting the ruling incumbent Republican party.

[5] The Asian financial crisis severely affected the CNMI's main tourist market of East Asia, including South Korea and Japan, the latter also being a key investor in the CNMI since the implementation of the Plaza Accords in 1986 which saw the Japanese investing their surplus of dollars throughout the world.

"[6] The bursting of this price bubble saw Japanese investment in the CNMI dry up and severely impacted the Commonwealth.

[6] This election also marks the year that The Reform Party was founded by former Governor Froilan C. Tenorio, who claimed to be disgruntled and tired of the disunity showed by his former political affiliation, the Democrats.