We asked whether Republican candidates could appeal to Puerto Rico voters, since Republican politicians continue to suggest that it will be impossible for them to get votes from Puerto Rico. But it’s just as fair to ask — can Democrats appeal to Puerto Rico voters?
Responses to a recent national survey of Hispanic voters shows that the positions held by U.S. Hispanics, including Puerto Ricans, look a lot more Republican than Democratic.
Not only do Puerto Ricans favor prayer in schools and being tough on crime, they are truly dedicated to traditional family values. 
Puerto Rico has laws requiring voter ID and forbidding gender-neutral bathrooms. In many ways, the laws in Puerto Rico look more like a red state than a blue state — and the territory does have a Republican governor.
So should the Democratic Party worry that two senators from Puerto Rico would keep the Democrats from gaining control in the Senate?
Political parties are different in Puerto Rico
Traditionally, the political parties in Puerto Rico have been associated with the three legally viable options for the Island’s political status: statehood, independent nationhood, and territory status. The situation is complicated by the fact that the party favoring continued territory status doesn’t want to continue as an unincorporated territory with the current colonial relationship. Instead, they want “enhanced” or “improved” or “developed” commonwealth. While there has not yet been a clear, agreed-upon definition of this status, the federal government has repeatedly declared the proposals for it unconstitutional.
Now, some “commonwealthers” have latched onto free association as a new way to describe their old idea.
The “commonwealth” party has sometimes had support from the national Democratic Party. Both the Democratic and Republican Parties have repeatedly included statehood in their party platforms. Members of the statehood party — including the current Republican governor and the previous Democratic governor — are members of both major national parties.
In short, political parties in Puerto Rico do not align with national parties. It is silly to say that Puerto Rico is a Democratic territory. It may be accurate to say that Puerto Rican voters in one state or another tend to be Democrats, but the state of Puerto Rico would clearly be a purple state.
So how could Democrats appeal to Puerto Rican voters?
The new survey asked likely voters whether they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supported statehood for Puerto Rico.
The majority of respondents said yes. 67% of Puerto Rican voters said they would be more likely to vote for candidates supporting Puerto Rico Statehood.
Democrats focusing on trans rights or defunding the police may not do well with Puerto Rican voters, but supporting statehood for Puerto Rico is a clear favorite among issues. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats own this issue. Republicans who favor statehood may be thinking about national security or expansionism while Democrats who support it might be thinking about fairness or representation. Either way, it will appeal to the voters.
Even though Republicans continue to suggest that Democrats will demand statehood for Puerto Rico, many legislators have failed to bring this issue forward. Let your legislators know that this is not only an important issue, but also a winning one.
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