The gubernatorial primaries in Puerto Rico have taken center stage as the island's two major political parties gear up for a contentious battle. The future of Puerto Rico's political status and its fragile yet recovering economy are key points of debate.
The pro-statehood New Progressive Party, led by Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, is facing internal strife as Pierluisi seeks a second term against Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, Jenniffer González. The rivalry between the two has intensified in recent months, with public exchanges turning acrimonious.
On the other side, the Popular Democratic Party, which supports Puerto Rico's current status as a U.S. territory, is seeing a race between Puerto Rico Sen. Juan Zaragoza and Rep. Jesús Manuel Ortiz for the main candidate position.
Issues such as chronic power outages, high electric bills, and slow hurricane recovery efforts post-Hurricane Maria continue to plague the island. The State Commission of Elections has taken measures to ensure voting accessibility, including renting generators and securing alternate voting sites with guaranteed electricity.
Other concerns raised by voters include challenges in obtaining business permits, an ailing education system, and limited access to capital markets following the island's debt restructuring process.
The candidates have outlined their priorities and promises to address these pressing issues. Pierluisi has highlighted achievements in tourism, hurricane recovery, and economic development, vowing to focus on projects benefiting children and the elderly.
González has pledged to combat corruption, allocate more resources to support victims of violence, and address the exodus of medical professionals to the U.S. mainland. Zaragoza and Ortiz have put forward proposals related to climate change, education reform, healthcare improvements, and tax system simplification.
Whoever wins the gubernatorial race will have to navigate the challenges of working alongside a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances in the aftermath of the government's bankruptcy declaration.
As the primaries approach, voter engagement remains high, with over 4,900 inmates casting their votes in prisons across the territory and more than 122,000 early ballots already counted by the State Commission of Elections.
