Puerto Rico Gubernatorial Race

on June 5, 2024

The results are in: Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon will be the statehood party’s candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico this year. She will be running against Jesús Manuel Ortiz González from the “commonwealth” party and Javier Cordova Iturregui of the Citizens Victory Movement, as well as Juan Dalmau Ramírez of the Independence Party, Javier Jiménez Pérez of Project Dignity, and several independent candidates.

Gonzalez-Colon has been the Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico since 2016, representing more than three million U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico single-handedly in the U.S. Congress. The Resident Commissioner cannot vote, and Puerto Rico has no senators. Gonzalez-Colon has therefore been Puerto Rico’s only representative in Congress for eight years. She is the first woman to hold this position.

The current Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, was also Resident Commissioner before he became governor. He conceded defeat Sunday night with 76% of the votes counted, congratulated Gonzalez-Colon, and wished her success.

Gonzalez-Colon

Gonzalez-Colon is a member of the Republican Party. Puerto Rico has had governors from both the major national parties, clear evidence that the common belief that Puerto Rico will be a blue state is misguided. Gonzalez-Colon has been in leadership positions in the Republican Party, including Republican Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus, Republican Main Street Caucus, and Chair of the Puerto Rico Republican Party. She was ranked as one of the 100 most influential Republican women by NewsMax.

Gonzalez-Colon was the youngest person ever elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. She held the positions of Speaker of the House and Minority Leader for four years each. She has also received a number of awards and honors for her tireless efforts in support of Puerto Rico and the United States. A few of these include the National Trailblazer Award from the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, the Empowered Woman of the Year award from Mujer Emprende, and the Order of Isabella the Catholic from King Felipe VI of Spain.