Palacios represented Election District 3 in the
Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, which encompasses portions of
Saipan and the
Northern Islands. He served as the
Speaker of the House after being sworn in on January 14, 2008, during the 16th Legislature. Palacios was the
running mate of gubernatorial candidate
Heinz Hofschneider in the
2009 gubernatorial election. While the ticket narrowly won in the first round, they would go on to lose to
Covenant Party candidate
Benigno Fitial in the Islands' first run-off election. Between 2010 and 2014, Palacios served as Secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources under Governor
Eloy Inos. In the
2014 general election, Palacios was elected to the
Northern Mariana Islands Senate, alongside Justo Songao Quitugua, defeating seven candidates for two seats from the 3rd Senatorial District (
Saipan). He was sworn into office as a senator in the 19th Commonwealth Legislature on January 12, 2015. At the start of the 19th Commonwealth Legislature, Palacios was elected Floor Leader by a unanimous roll call. In the
2018 gubernatorial election, incumbent governor
Ralph Torres selected Palacios as his running mate. The ticket went on to win in the first round, with Palacios becoming the twelfth person to serve as Lieutenant Governor. In 2021, Palacios announced he would be challenging Torres for the governorship in the
2022 election, running with
Saipan mayor
David M. Apatang as his running-mate. Palacios also announced that he would be running as an independent. After coming second in the first round, the eliminated Democratic candidate
Tina Sablan endorsed the Palacios ticket, with a "unity pledge" being signed to align their similar policy goals. Palacios would win in the second round, with him being the first independent candidate to win a gubernatorial election in the Northern Mariana Islands. Following the election, Palacios appointed multiple Democrats to his cabinet, including Sablan's running mate
Leila Staffler. Palacios rejoined the Republican Party in December 2024. This was soon after
Donald Trump's reelection as president of the United States, with Palacios justifying his decision as he believed Trump's vision and policies were aligned with his goal of bringing increased prosperity to the islands. Palacios reportedly made this decision in coordination with the national party, without consulting the local party leadership in the Northern Mariana Islands. == Personal life and death ==