In Puerto Rico governor's race, the statehood candidate who's pro-Trump edges ahead
Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress since 2016 and a Republican who supports Trump, is projected to win a historic gubernatorial election.
Jenniffer González of the New Progressive Party, which supports statehood for Puerto Rico, has declared victory as preliminary election results in the governor’s race put her ahead of her main opponent, Juan Dalmau — who emerged as a strong contender after becoming the face of a new third-party coalition that merged the minority Puerto Rican Independence Party with the Citizens’ Victory Movement.
“I will be the governor of all Puerto Ricans, of those who voted, of those who did not vote and of those who did not support me,” González said in Spanish during a speech late Tuesday night. “And although there are still votes to be counted, I know that the trend is clear.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, González had 39% of the vote with 91% of precincts reporting, according to the Puerto Rico Elections Commission. Dalmau was in second place with nearly 33%.
If González’s advantage over Dalmau prevails, the pro-statehood New Progressive Party would make history as the first in Puerto Rico to secure a third consecutive term.
Back-to-back pro-statehood governors have held office in Puerto Rico since 2016, when Ricardo Rosselló was elected. Fellow New Progressive Party member Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, who is currently in office, was elected in 2020 even after the party was marred in controversy following a political scandal and large protests that led to Rosselló’s resignation in 2019. Pro-statehood Gov. Wanda Vázquez briefly filled in the vacancy.
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