Puerto Rico Ruling Party Head Gets Key Backing to Be Governor

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Bloomberg

The head of Puerto Rico’s ruling New Progressive Party, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, just got a critical endorsement to become the island’s next governor.

Lawmaker Jorge Navarro Suarez, who heads the governance commission in the lower house that’s in charge of confirming nominees, said he supported Rivera Schatz to fill the vacant secretary of state cabinet position, according to a video interview shared by Jay Fonseca, of the Puerto Rican TV news program “Jay y sus Rayos X.”

The next secretary of state is in line to become governor when Ricardo Rossello steps down Friday. Rossello pledged to resign after leaked chats showed him and his inner circle making misogynistic and homophobic comments, and his last secretary of state left as the scandal was breaking.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Rivera Schatz’s nomination and confirmation -- both still hypothetical -- would do anything to calm the popular fury sweeping the island. Indeed, it could possibly intensify protests: Rivera Schatz has been involved in the ruling party’s politics for some 25 years. His career took off after former Governor Pedro Rossello, the outgoing governor’s father, picked him as a prosecutor for the local Justice Department.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-07-29/puerto-rico-ruling-party-head-gets-key-backing-to-be-governor

[TexasTowelie]

1. The New Progressive Party (PNP) in Puerto Rico is affiliated with the mainland Republican Party.

FYI, for the people that see "Progressive" in the party name and think that they are liberals. The PNP is a pro-statehood party.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Affiliation with national parties

"In national/mainland politics, members are split, with some party members affiliating with the Republican Party and some with the Democratic Party.

Three NPP gubernatorial candidates registered nationally as Republicans (Luis A. Ferré, Baltasar Corrada and Luis G. Fortuño) while four NPP gubernatorial candidates registered nationally as Democrats (Carlos Romero Barceló, Carlos Pesquera, Pedro Rosselló and Ricardo Rosselló).

Fortuño caucused with the Republicans when he was in Congress and serves as Puerto Rico's Republican National Committeeman
while Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi is a Democrat.

When Fortuño was governor, his top administration officials were also split in national politics. His last chief of staff, Miguel Romero, and his Secretary of State (and first in line of succession), Kenneth McClintock, are Democrats,
while his last Attorney General Guillermo Somoza is a Republican.
House NPP Leader Jenniffer González and Senate Minority Leader Larry Seilhamer are Republicans."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Progressive_Party_(Puerto_Rico)#Affiliation_with_national_parties

[TexasTowelie]

3. The Wikipedia article on Rivera Schatz

indicated that he affiliated with the mainland Republican party.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Rivera_Schatz

[left-of-center2012]

4. Seems ...

It seems PR runs a bipartisan government.