Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, has its own governing body consisting of two primary Island-wide roles: Governor and Resident Commissioner. The Resident Commissioner serves as Puerto Rico’s only voting representative in Congress. Each of these positions is filled for a term of four years.
Currently, the Governor of Puerto Rico is Pedro Pierluisi, a member of the Democratic Party. The Resident Commissioner, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, represents the Republican Party. Both hold affiliations with Puerto Rico’s statehood party, known as the New Progressive Party, or Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) in Spanish.
This raises the question: Is Puerto Rico aligned with the Democratic or Republican Party?
Voters Favor Both Parties at Elections
The Republican Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon has recently secured the position of the next Governor of Puerto Rico, while Democrat Pablo Jose Hernandez has been elected as the new Resident Commissioner. Thus, once more, the top leadership in Puerto Rico showcases a division in alignment with national political parties.
This contrast between the two leadership pairs—Gonzalez/Pierluisi and now Gonzalez/Hernandez—illustrates Puerto Rico’s openness to elect both Democrats and Republicans, revealing that the local political factions don’t possess a guaranteed voter allegiance in elections. It’s common for voters to select both a Democrat and a Republican when casting their votes.
Political Alignment: A Shared Ideology
Although the present governor and resident commissioner belong to the PNP, Hernandez is affiliated with the PDP, or “commonwealth” party. He also edits Rafael Hernández Colón’s Hacia la meta final: El Nuevo Pacto and Estado Libre Asociado: Naturaleza y Desarrollo, translated in English as Toward the Final Goal: The New Pact and Commonwealth Status: Nature and Development. This book advocates for a “New Pact” proposed for Puerto Rico in the 1970s to direct U.S. relations, reminiscent of the “enhanced commonwealth” proposition. A more recent iteration of the “Pact” was introduced in 2020, containing similar terms and language.
In 2024, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) presented a version of the Puerto Rico Status Act, which featured a “commonwealth” ballot option aligning with Hernandez’s views. The “commonwealth” proposal has faced substantial rejection from both U.S. political parties in the House, Senate, and White House since its introduction in the 1950s; however, Wicker and the new Democrat from Puerto Rico have found mutual support for it.
Commonwealth Status: A Historical Overview of Rejection by the U.S.
“As I stated during the campaign,” Hernandez remarked to the San Juan Star, “I do not acknowledge the legitimacy of [the] plebiscite since it is not binding and failed to present the option of maintaining and enhancing the Free Associated State.”
“Free Associated State” translates from “Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico,” which is the official designation of Puerto Rico. Hernandez essentially expresses opposition to the November 5 status vote due to the absence of the “territory” option, commonly known as “commonwealth”—a term lacking legal significance. The critical nuance in Hernandez’s stance is that he does not support the current status; instead, he advocates for an upgraded “commonwealth.” His position aligns with that of Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican representing Mississippi, who put forward legislation calling for a status referendum in Puerto Rico that includes an enhanced “commonwealth” as an option for voters.
On the island, some voters refer to Puerto Rico’s present territorial (or “commonwealth”) status using the Spanish term for “Free Associated State,” but “Estado Libre Asociado” closely resembles the independent freely associated states in the Pacific—such as Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Federated States of Micronesia—which were previously U.S. territories.
Nonetheless, both the incoming Democrat from Puerto Rico and the experienced Republican from Mississippi agree that a status quo option should appear on the ballot, specifically referring to “Estado Libre Asociado” — which technically categorizes Puerto Rico as a U.S. territory but is often misinterpreted by voters as a notion of “enhanced commonwealth” or independent freely associated state.
Democratic or Republican?
In a symbolic electoral vote for the President of the United States, Puerto Rico opted for Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, with approximately 75% of the total votes. However, this outcome should not be construed to imply that Puerto Rican voters are uniform in their political affiliations or entirely opposed to voting Republican. In fact, some mainland Puerto Ricans—a group that recently expressed their statehood desires—were drawn to the Republican candidate, even after a controversial comic ridiculed Puerto Rico at a mass gathering shortly before the election. A modest campaigning effort could suggest that the 25% support for Trump does not represent a maximum threshold.
The most telling evidence that Puerto Rican voters are open to either major national party is revealed in local elections. The Republican Resident Commissioner is now set to become the Governor, collaborating with the well-known Democratic Resident Commissioner. This bipartisan relationship has persisted for years and seems poised to endure in the coming future.
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