In a surprising turn of events, Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico’s congressional representative, defeated Governor Pedro Pierluisi in the primary election held by their pro-statehood party, the New Progressive Party, on Sunday. González, a Republican, and Pierluisi, a Democrat, had run on the same ticket four years ago, but their recent campaign was marked by public jabs that turned acrimonious.
Elections in Puerto Rico tend to focus on different issues than elections in the continental U.S., and Democrats tend to run on the same ticket as Republicans.
González secured 56% of the vote, while Pierluisi obtained 44%, with tens of thousands of votes still uncounted. She became the first female gubernatorial candidate to win a primary for the New Progressive Party. In her victory speech, González pledged to listen to the people and be present on the streets.
In the Popular Democratic Party’s primary, which supports the island’s territorial status, Representative Jesús Manuel Ortiz defeated Senator Juan Zaragoza. Ortiz secured 62% of the votes, while Zaragoza conceded defeat with 38%.
The primaries were not without issues, as power outages were reported at more than a dozen voting centers, forcing officials to resort to manual processes. Heavy rains and flood warnings also affected parts of the island. The elections commission’s website crashed, causing frustration among those closely following the results.
Voters in Puerto Rico expressed their discontent with various issues, including chronic power outages, delayed reconstruction projects following Hurricane Maria in 2017, difficulty in obtaining business permits, a fractured education system, and limited access to capital markets. The island’s power company still owes more than $9 billion in debt, which remains unresolved.
Other concerns included the exodus of doctors from Puerto Rico and the need to improve the crumbling health system. Dr. Alfredo Rivera Freytes, an anesthesiologist who left Puerto Rico for the U.S. Virgin Islands due to the health system’s problems, returned two years ago to retire but found himself working again due to the shortage of anesthesiologists.
González and Ortiz will now face candidates from other parties in the November general elections. The new governor will have to work alongside a federal control board that oversees the island’s finances, which was created after the government declared bankruptcy.
Prior to the primaries, more than 4,900 inmates voted in prisons across the U.S. territory, and the State Commission of Elections received and counted tens of thousands of early ballots.
The outcome of these primaries sets the stage for a crucial general election that will determine the future direction of Puerto Rico as it grapples with numerous challenges and seeks to improve the lives of its residents.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.