Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro R. Pierluisi lost his bid for a second term on Sunday after a fierce primary election, a rare defeat for the island’s sitting governor.
According to the Associated Press, Pierluisi lost the primary election for the ruling New Progressive Party, which supports statehood for Puerto Rico, to Jennifer Gonzalez Colon, a non-voting member of Congress from Puerto Rico.
Four years ago, Pierluisi and González-Colón ran as allies on the same ticket, pledging unity after a tumultuous period that included the resignation of a former New Progressive Party governor. But in challenging his former ally, González-Colón criticized his administration as out of touch with reality and incompetent.
Puerto Rican politics do not neatly align with mainland partisan politics: Both Pierluisi and Gonzalez-Colon belong to pro-statehood parties, but Pierluisi is a Democrat and Gonzalez-Colon a Republican.
In another primary election held Sunday, state Rep. Jesus Manuel Ortiz of the People’s Democratic Party, who supports the island’s current status as a U.S. territory, defeated state Sen. Juan Zaragoza by a wide margin. The general election will be held on Nov. 5.
Puerto Rico is rebuilding its shaky economy after being hit hard by financial crisis, bankruptcies, Hurricane Maria and the coronavirus pandemic. But many Puerto Ricans remain deeply frustrated by power outages, a housing crisis, soaring costs of living and a slow recovery after Maria, the Category 4 hurricane that devastated the Caribbean island in 2017.
In the wake of these major upheavals, Puerto Rican politics are beginning to shift, with the island’s long-dominant New Progressive Party and People’s Democratic Party giving way to newer, smaller parties that are less interested in the crucial issue of Puerto Rico’s political status.
In Puerto Rico’s last election in 2020, one of the newer political parties, Citizen Victory, attracted many young voters with party leaders promising to focus on solving economic and social problems. Another relatively new party, Project Dignity, ran candidates on a right-wing social platform and attracted support from Christian conservatives.
Ahead of this year’s election, Citizen Victory allied with one of the island’s smaller parties, the Puerto Rican Independence Party, whose candidate for governor is former state senator Juan Dalmau.
Pierluisi won the 2020 primary, defeating his successor, Wanda Vásquez, also of the New Progressive Party, who took office under unusual circumstances after former New Progressive Gov. Ricardo A. Rosselló resigned following mass protests in 2019. The protests began after private letters containing insults against Puerto Ricans by Rosselló and his aides were leaked.
Rosselló chose Pierluisi to succeed him, but the Puerto Rican Supreme Court ruled that his appointment was improper, and Pierluisi served as de facto governor for five days.
During his campaign this year, Pierluisi pointed to accomplishments from his first term, including an improving economy and projects completed or underway, while González-Colón exploited public anger over everyday pocketbook problems by decrying the public corruption that has long plagued Puerto Rico’s government.
