Jenniffer González of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood event edges ahead in gubernatorial election

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Jenniffer González of Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood recent Progressive event was leading polls on Wednesday in a historic gubernatorial election that could view her event secure a third consecutive term for the first period.

González had 39%, or 438,183 votes with 91% of precincts reporting, according to Puerto Rico’s State Elections percentage.

Coming in second so far was Juan Dalmau, who ran for Puerto Rico’s Independence event and Citizen win Movement. He obtained 33% or 364,145 of votes, making him the first candidate from outside the two main parties in the island to complete second in Puerto Rico’s general election.

No winner has been certified, Jessica Padilla, the percentage’s alternate president, said at a information conference early Wednesday.

“There are still votes in procedure of being counted,” she said.

On Tuesday, the percentage is scheduled to commence reviewing all votes and eventually certify final results, although it’s too early to declare when that would happen.

While González claimed a triumph, Dalmau said his event would wait until every vote had been counted.

“This is the beginning of a glorious transformation of our country,” he said late Tuesday. Thank you for helping me make history.”

The Popular Democratic event, a major event that supports the island’s position as a U.S. territory, was pushed into third place as its candidate Jesús Manuel Ortiz obtained 21% or 233,470 votes. Meanwhile, Javier Jiménez of assignment Dignity, a conservative event, obtained 7% of the vote.

The winner will replace Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, who was defeated by González in an upset in a primary election held in June by their recent Progressive event.

“I’m going to be a governor for all Puerto Ricans,” González said late Tuesday, promising to represent all those who voted for her, against her or didn’t vote at all.

In the race to become Puerto Rico’s recent representative in U.S. Congress, Pablo José Hernández of the Popular Democratic event was leading. He obtained 46% of the vote compared with 35% for William Villafañe of the pro-statehood event, according to partial results.

Dalmau’s powerful showing was a sign of a growing body of voters who are giving up on the island’s two established parties.

A growing number of voters ancient and youthful have said they were weary of persistent corruption, chronic power outages and a lack of affordable housing, among other things. Their search for recent leaders has begun to loosen the hold that the recent Progressive event and the Popular Democratic event had over Puerto Rico’s politics for decades.

Voters like Aisha Rodríguez Díaz, 37, said that Tuesday’s election gave them aspiration that a third-event candidate would triumph soon.

“They’ve already made history,” she said, referring to the alliance between Puerto Rico’s Independence event and the Citizen win Movement.

On Tuesday, voters also considered a seventh nonbinding referendum about Puerto Rico’s political position.

It offered three options: statehood, independence and independence with free association, under which issues like foreign affairs, U.S. citizenship and use of the U.S. dollar would be negotiated.

Statehood obtained 57% of votes followed by independence with 31%, the first period that alternative clinched second place. More than 165,000 ballots were left blank, with 91% of precincts reporting.

Regardless of the referendum’s outcome, a transformation in position requires approval from the U.S. Congress.

event officials have long said that despite being a part of the United States. Puerto Rico receives unequal treatment when it comes to Medicaid, Medicare and other federal programs.