In an article at The Hill, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) reiterates his “commitment to work for a new Puerto Rico.” Grijalva is chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, which has responsibility for the territories of the United States, including Puerto Rico. Grijalva began by acknowledging not only that Puerto Rico is facing difficult… Read more »
Pedro Pierluisi (New Progressive Party/NPP) will be sworn in today as Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State — but whether he will have the job and become Governor Friday afternoon is uncertain, although it appears to be increasingly likely. Governor Ricardo Rossello Nevares (NPP) this afternoon appointed Pierluisi to serve while the Legislative Assembly is in… Read more »
Puerto Rico’s most recent plebiscite, held June 11, 2017, had a very clear outcome: 97% of voters chose statehood from the territory’s three status options (nationhood in addition to territory status and statehood). The islands’ political factions supporting nationhood and an unprecedented “Commonwealth status” that Federal officials have said is impossible for constitutional reasons had… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act of 2019 was filed this week. But that was not by any means the first Puerto Rico Statehood Act. Consider the Puerto Rico Statehood Act of 1977, introduced by President Gerald Ford after he rejected a proposal for “perfected commonwealth.” The Statehood Act was designed to provide economic opportunity… Read more »
Carmen Yulín Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, has been named as one of the four co-chairs of the presidential campaign to elect Bernie Sanders in 2020. Yulin Cruz spoke admiringly of Sanders and his record of progressive positions. However, she also said particularly that he would work for a “new path” for Puerto Rico and… Read more »
Puerto Rico has held five plebiscites, and some leaders are calling for another one. So what is a plebiscite? What is a plebiscite? A plebiscite is a direct vote by registered voters on an important legal or political question. The word comes from French and before that from the Latin words for “people” and “decree.”… Read more »
Governor Ricardo Rossello told reporters that 2020 presidential candidates need to be clear on their positions on Puerto Rico statehood before they campaign on the Island. Rossello was attending the National Governors Association meeting in Washington, D.C. “What I want to hear everybody talk about,” Reuters reported Rossello saying, “is their stance on the equality… Read more »
The first 2020 presidential candidate to support Puerto Rico statehood in a clear public statement is businessman Andrew Yang, running as a Democrat on a platform he calls “A Campaign of Ideas.” Yang’s campaign website makes his position clear: Make Puerto Rico a State Brief Puerto Rico has been a part of the United… Read more »
Julian Castro, who recently announced his intention to run for president in 2020, visited Puerto Rico to attend the Latino Political Summit, organized by the Latino Victory Fund. “I chose as my first visit after the announcement to come to Puerto Rico, because I want all the people of Puerto Rico to know that you… Read more »
Rick Scott, currently the Governor of Florida, has won a tough Senate race in Florida. A hand recount of the votes shows Scott 10,033 votes ahead of incumbent Senator Bill Nelson (D), who has conceded. “Now the campaign truly is behind us,” Scott said, “and that’s where we need to leave it. We must do… Read more »
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