Puerto Rico Elections Enter Uncharted Territory

SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico’s upcoming gubernatorial elections might be the most interesting race you’ve heard almost nothing about.

Unlike the United States, which will feature Democrats versus Republicans for the umpteenth time, a radical electoral shift has dethroned the archipelago’s two-party system and led the way for a center-left alliance to vie for the top spot.

Puerto Rico’s politics have been dominated by the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) since the U.S. colony became a self-governing commonwealth in 1952. While the PNP has ruled over Puerto Rico for the last eight years and is the most likely to win in November, the PPD, a proponent of the commonwealth system, has fallen out of favor with voters.

A recent Gaither poll showed the PNP dominating the November 5 gubernatorial elections with 43% of the vote and the PPD with just 14%. Meanwhile, the Independence Party (PIP) placed second with 24%.

These results are a far cry from the 2020 elections, where the PNP won with 33.2% of the vote, a two-point advantage over the PPD, and the PIP only got 13.6%.

The Alliance

The PIP’s surge in support can be attributed to two factors. First, support for the independence movement has been growing over the last decade. Second, the PIP partnered with the Citizen Victory Movement (MVC) to create “La Alianza del País” (Alliance for the Country). The MVC, which was created in 2019, received about 5,000 more votes than the PIP in the 2020 elections.

“For the good of the country, [the PIP and MVC] were willing to put aside their differences and emphasize the things they have in common that can offer an alternative to the PNP and the PPD with a chance of victory,” said Calixto Negrón, campaign director for Juan Dalmau, La Alianza’s pick for governor. He says part of their surge in support has come from voters growing disillusioned with the PNP-PPD bipartisanship after Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy.

Sen. Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Manuel Natal, founding members of the MVC, are running for resident commissioner and San Juan mayor, respectively. Natal was formerly a Congressman for the PPD.

Earlier in the year, a PNP and PPD lawsuit led to a 5-3 Puerto Rico Supreme Court decision that banned four MVC candidates —some of them current legislators— from appearing on the ballot. They will now have to run as write-in candidates. Sen. Rivera Lassén, who was one of the candidates on the chopping block, was spared but she had to sue the State Election Commission (CEE) to get her candidacy certified.

The PNP Upset

Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González, a non-voting member of the U.S. Congress and member of the Republican Party, beat incumbent Gov. Pedro Pierluisi for the nomination by a nearly 10% margin in a shocking upset. Commissioner González has promised to bring in a whole new team of agency heads if she reaches office. Gov. Pierluisi’s pick for Resident Commissioner, Sen. William Villafañe, will be her running mate and incumbent San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero will be running for his seat again.

Gov. Pierluisi has said he will not be joining González’s campaign and will instead focus on the rest of his term.

“This election in November will be the ones who want Puerto Rico to be separate from the U.S. and those who want it to maintain a relationship with the U.S. In that election, [the PNP] will defend that relationship,” González said during a Monday press conference. She has also urged PPD members to support her candidacy in November.

In the aftermath of the primaries, the CEE found that some machines incorrectly calculated vote totals. While no one contested race results, many worry there could be a repeat of the chaos in November.

A Status Election

Puerto Rican politics do not match cleanly to American party affiliations, although candidates like González do publicize when they attend American political conventions. Earlier this month, González’s campaign published photos of her and other Puerto Rican Republicans attending the RNC in Milwaukee.

Still, the island’s political status defines local party affiliation. The PNP supports statehood, the PPD supports a continuance of the archipelago’s current status, and the MVC supports a binding plebiscite. As for the PIP, it’s in the name. That party favors a fully independent Puerto Rico.

The Dignity Project, a conservative party created in 2019 that is last in gubernatorial polls, does not support an alternative to Puerto Rico’s current status but urges their members to vote “according to their conscience” if a plebiscite comes up. 

Puerto Ricans will also be voting (again) between statehood, independence, or independence with free association in a non-binding plebiscite in November as well. While statehood has won in previous plebiscites, Puerto Rico’s status has not changed because it would require the go-ahead from the U.S. Congress and President. In fact, Republicans completely erased statehood for Puerto Rico from their RNC platform.

Although they are U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans living on the island cannot vote for U.S. President and do not have a voting representative in Congress.

The Latino Newsletter reached out to the PNP and Rivera Lassén for comment but they did not respond by press time.

About the Author

Carlos Berríos Polanco is a journalist from Puerto Rico covering climate, conflict, and the intersection of the two.