Pro-Statehood Representative Jenniffer González Emerges Victorious in Puerto Rico Gubernatorial Primary

In a surprise upset during a primary election held Sunday by their pro-statehood party, Puerto Rico congressional Rep. Jenniffer González defeated Gov. Pedro Pierluisi.

Both candidates ran on the same ticket four years ago under the New Progressive Party, but González, a Republican, announced her plan to challenge Pierluisi, a Democrat, in early December. The campaign between the two candidates became acrimonious with public jabs exchanged.

Puerto Rico’s main political parties are divided by the island’s political status, leading to the presence of both Republicans and Democrats within the same party.

“What happened is very painful, and I didn’t expect it, but let no one think that I’m going to slow down in the remainder of this four-year period,” Pierluisi said as he congratulated González late Sunday.

González secured 56% of the vote compared to Pierluisi’s 44%, with tens of thousands of votes still uncounted. She is the first female gubernatorial candidate from the New Progressive Party to win a primary.

“Positions do not belong to politicians … they belong to the people,” González stated in a speech right after Pierluisi conceded. “I commit to being on the streets, to listen to people.”

As of Monday, the Puerto Rico elections commission had not provided updated numbers and was still counting votes.

Running for the position of resident commissioner alongside González is senior U.S. naval military officer Elmer Román, a former Puerto Rico secretary of state. Puerto Rico Sen. William Villafañe is seeking the position running with Pierluisi. Villafañe had 53% of the votes and Román had 47% with 80% of voting centers reporting.

Puerto Rico Rep. Jesús Manuel Ortiz won against Sen. Juan Zaragoza in the primary held by the Popular Democratic Party earlier on Sunday, with Ortiz receiving 62% of the votes compared to Zaragoza’s 38%.

The page of Puerto Rico’s elections commission crashed late Sunday as results were coming in, and efforts were made to resolve the issue with assistance from U.S. Homeland Security and other agencies.

Power outages and heavy rains affected the voting process in several areas, leading to delays and the implementation of manual voting in some centers. Voter concerns included issues related to business permits, education, access to capital markets, and the health system in Puerto Rico.

Ahead of the general elections in November, González and Ortiz, along with candidates from other parties, will compete for the position of governor. The next governor will need to collaborate with a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s finances.

Mentioned updates were taken from an article by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.