Republicans scored a significant victory by flipping Puerto Rico’s governorship on Election Day, as Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) overcame late-campaign controversy to win.
Currently Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, González-Colón has represented the territory in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016, though she does not have voting privileges in the chamber. She made history as the first woman to hold that role.
Her campaign faced headwinds following a joke by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who, during a warm-up act at a Trump rally in New York City, made comments about Puerto Rico’s pollution and referred to the island as “garbage.”
This drew disapproval from the crowd and upset Ángel Cintrón, chair of the Puerto Rican Republican Party, who declared, “I’m not voting for Trump if he doesn’t apologize.” Trump later said he was unaware of the comedian’s remarks.
Despite Democratic hopes for a backlash among Puerto Rican voters, González-Colón led her race by eight points, and Trump performed well in Florida counties with substantial Puerto Rican populations. The election results indicated that any anticipated backlash was minimal.
