Ed Propst

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Edwin Kenneth Propst (born February 14, 1971) is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. He served in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, representing Precinct 1, from January 12, 2015 to January 13, 2025. He was the floor leader of the House from January 9, 2023 to January 13, 2025.

Propst was born in Samoa to Ivan Propst, who worked for the Trust Territory Department of Education, and Juanita Palman from the Philippines. He is the youngest of four children. He is married to Daisy Manglona and they have four children. They live in Dandan, Saipan.

Education and career
Propst attended Northern Marianas College and earned a BA in communications from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He also studied at Sophia University for a time. He has worked as a high school English teacher, an administrator at Northern Marianas College, and managed the Head Start program from 2009 to 2014. He owns a photography business and has been a publisher of MP Magazine.

Political career
Propst started as an Independent and switched to the Democratic Party in 2020. He was elected to the House in 2014 and 2018, finishing as the top vote-getter in both elections. In 2020, he ran on the Democratic slate and was reelected despite allegations of sexual misconduct; the Attorney General later said there wasn’t enough information to pursue charges. The AG’s decision did not end his political career, and he remained a leading figure in the House.

He has served on several committees, including Education, Federal & Foreign Affairs, Judiciary & Governmental Operations, and Ways & Means, and he has chaired the Gaming Committee. He was the House minority leader from December 2018 until Democrats and independents won a majority in 2020.

Floor leadership and later years
In the 23rd Commonwealth Legislature, Propst was nominated by Ralph Naraja Yumul to be Floor Leader, and the House elected him by acclimation. Marissa Flores became Floor Leader for the 24th Commonwealth Legislature.

U.S. House race and later roles
In 2024, Propst announced his candidacy for the delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, aiming to succeed retiring Gregorio Sablan. He was endorsed by Sablan. The campaign was chaired by Tina Sablan and managed by Ralph N. Yumul. In a five-way race, Propst finished second with 4,067 votes; Kimberlyn King-Hinds won with 4,931 votes.

In 2025, Propst took a job as a program manager at the CNMI Broadband Policy & Development Office.