Aparicio will be supporting O’Malley in Puerto Rico, where voters cannot cast a vote for president but can participate in primaries. Recognizing Hillary Clinton’s frontrunner status, Aparicio reportedly told Metro that he believes Clinton has already made up her mind on the status issue, but that O’Malley is open to different sides of the issue. Metro is also reporting that Aparicio consulted with Puerto Rico’s Popular Democratic Party (PPD) before assuming his new role and that PDP Secretary General Jorge Suarez has traveled to Baltimore to ask O’Malley his views on Puerto Rico’s status. Aparicio said O’Malley requested more information on the federal bankruptcy and health care funding issues.
Hillary Clinton decisively won the Puerto Rican primary in 2008.
Although O’Malley has not publicly confirmed his position on Puerto Rico’s status, he is already being asked about it, as the screenshot below from Facebook shows:
Is OMalley an idiot?
Its a smack in the face to pick a lawyer from a party that opposes statehood and the Presidential vote as PR campaign manager.
I HOPE HILLARY PICKS UP ON THIS. I WILL TWEET HER SOON!
O’Malley has zero chance of getting the nomination, Baltimore’s present problems are a legacy of his administration.
Furthermore, how is he any different than Hillary in regards to Puerto Rico? Both seem to be vaguely unionist without directly announcing support for either statehood or the existing territorial status. Hillary’s 2008 campaign had a pro-statehooder (Ricky Rossello) and a pro-colonialist (Roberto Prats). I don’t think Ricky is a Democrat anymore, both he and Beatriz posed for photos with Jeb Bush during his recent event on the island.