Who won Puerto Rico's primary for governor? González-Colón beats incumbent Pierluisi
Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner and nonvoting member of Congress, won the island’s primary election held by the pro-statehood party on Sunday.
It was a stunning upset for the incumbent Governor Pedro Pierluisi, who conceded defeat after receiving 44% of the vote to González’s 56%, although tens of thousands of votes remain outstanding, according to The Associated Press.
The results came in after a bitter campaign season for the New Progressive Party. González, the first female gubernatorial candidate to secure a primary for the New Progressive party, argued that Pierluisi’s governing style was out of touch and ineffective.
Just four years ago, González and Pierluisi ran as allies on the same ticket. They promised to bring Puerto Ricans together following a turbulent period in the island’s political history that saw the resignation of New Progressive Party Governor Ricardo Rosselló over damning leaked texts.
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Partisan politics in Puerto Rico don’t mirror those in the mainland United States. Despite being part of the same pro-statehood party, González is a Republican, and Pierluisi is a Democrat.
Who is Jenniffer González-Colón?
González, 47, currently serves as Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner in the U.S. House of Representatives. She won the position in 2016 in a landslide victory, receiving over 70% of the vote to become the youngest person and first woman to represent Puerto Rico since the position was created in 1900.
As a commissioner, González effectively functions the same as any member of Congress. She can sponsor legislation, serve on congressional committees, and vote on legislation in those committees. González cannot, however, vote on the House floor.
But for much of her time in Congress, González has focused on disaster relief and recovery after Hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated large swaths of Puerto Rico in September 2017. Her work on the issue continued after a January 2020 earthquake caused significant damage to the southeastern regions of the island.
González’s primary platform
González used her time in Congress working on disaster relief as a selling point to primary voters. Much of Puerto Rico is still dealing with the aftermath of the hurricanes and earthquake, which have weakened its power grid and infrastructure.
González told voters, “That’s one of the reasons why I’m aspiring to governorship, because I believe that we should not get used to not having electricity, we should not get used to not having water.”
Throughout her campaign, Gonzwise promised to crack down on government corruption and incentivize local doctors and medical workers to stay in Puerto Rico after many moved to the U.S. mainland. She also pledged to give more funding to agencies that help female victims of violence, among an ongoing surge in murders of women on the island.
Who will González run against?
The Popular Democratic Party selected Jesús Manuel Ortiz as their gubernatorial candidate. As one of the two major parties in Puerto Rico, the Popular Democratic Party supports the island’s territorial status with a right to self-governance. González will face off against Ortiz and Independent Juan Dalmau in the general election on November 5.