Pula Nikolao Pula

Nikolao Pula
Governor-elect of American Samoa
Assuming office January 3, 2025
Lieutenant	Pulu Ae Ae Jr. (elect)
Succeeding	Lemanu Peleti Mauga
Personal details
Born	Pulaali'i Tuiteleleapaga Iuli Nikolao Pula American Samoa
Political party	Republican

Pulaali'i Tuiteleleapaga Iuli Nikolao Pula is an American Samoan politician who is the governor-elect of American Samoa. He ran in the 2024 American Samoan gubernatorial election and defeated incumbent Lemanu Peleti Mauga in the runoff. Previously, he had served from 1993 to 2022 in the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), being the OIA Director from 2002 to 2022.

Early life and edication

Pula was born in American Samoa. He is the youngest son of 12 children and his father was an important figure in developing the education system in American Samoa. He grew up in the village of Utulei and attended Utulei elementary school. He later attended Marist Brothers High School where he graduated in 1974 and was the class valedictorian. He then furthered his education in the mainland U.S., studying at Menlo College in California. He also studied at Brigham Young University in Utah, served a mission in Samoa in 1978, and later returned to the U.S. and completed his education at George Mason University in Virginia.

Political career

Following his mission, Pula worked a short stint for the reference bureau of the American Samoa Fono, the territorial legislature. In 1981, he moved to Washington, D.C., and became a special assistant for Hawaii U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye. He worked with Inouye for 11 years before joining the office of American Samoa delegate Fofō Iosefa Fiti Sunia. Pula also assisted the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and was the staff director for the U.S. House subcommittee on public works and transportation.

In August 1993, Pula joined the United States Department of the Interior, specifically working for the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA). He worked as a policy desk officer from 1993 to 2000 and served as the OIA Acting Director from 1999 to 2002. He was named the Director of the OIA in 2002 and became the first Samoan ever to hold the position. In the role, he served as the executive branch liaison with four of five U.S. territories and three freely associated states, being in charge of "general policies regarding insular affairs and oversight of Federal activities." He also served as the chairman of the U.S.-Federated States of Micronesia Join Economic Management Committee, the Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Trust Fund Committee, and the U.S.-Marshall Islands Joint Economic Management and Financial Accountability Committee.

Pula served as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Insular Affairs for a period of nine months in 2009 and for several months in 2014. He stepped down as OIA Director in 2022, which came after he criticized President Joe Biden's nomination of Carmen G. Cantor to be Assistant OIA Secretary.

In March 2024, Pula announced his candidacy for the 2024 American Samoan gubernatorial election. He chose Pulu Ae Ae Jr. to be his running mate and faced incumbent Lemanu Peleti Mauga in the general election. In the election, Pula received 42.4% of the vote compared to Mauga's 36.2% (4,284 votes to 3,660), which set up a runoff election as neither candidate received a majority. Two weeks later, he defeated Mauga in the runoff with 59.8% of the vote.

Personal life

Pula married Dr. Lois Ellen Pula, a professor of nursing at Georgetown University. They had six children together and as of 2023, had 22 grandchildren.