For more than half a century, observers of Puerto Rican politics assumed that it was virtually impossible for a pro-independence candidate to win the highest post in the Island’s colonial administration. In fact, it is fair to say that even the most die-hard independentistas conceded that such a feat was not in the cards by any stretch of their imagination, at least not in their lifetime.
Then, sometime around 2014, Puerto Rico’s colonial government began to show serious signs of deterioration and, with this decline, came significant shifts in the Island’s political tides. Major changes in public opinion over the past decade have forged new political movements as well as the meteoric rise of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), which in 2020 experienced a 700% growth.
According to an election poll released on March 1st, 2024, the PIP’s candidate for governor, Juan Dalmau, is in a virtual tie for first place, closely trailing the number one spot by just 1.5%, which is within the poll’s margin of error.
After years of economic stagnation and an era marked by widespread corruption, Dalmau has emerged as the only ray of hope for Puerto Ricans betrayed by the political status quo. Dalmau is a young witty lawyer, who seems to be with as much ease talking to a group of students at MIT, as to retirees on the Island who are increasingly worried about the scarcity of adequate medical services. He was editor-in-chief of the UPR Law School's Law Review and holds a master in law from Harvard University. He was elected to Puerto Rico’s Senate in 2016 for a four-year term, where he gained respect for his tough opposition to the privatization of government services and to the austerity measures of the Fiscal Control Board imposed by the U.S. Congress.
However, Dalmau’s strongest resonance with voters isn’t necessarily just that he is bright and charming, it is that he is the only candidate that they can trust in a political field that is otherwise plagued with corrupt politicians. This is evident in the results of the March 1st poll, which was conducted by Atlas Intel, a prestigious firm that is believed to have been the most accurate pollster of the 2020 US presidential cycle. According to this poll published in the NotiCel digital newspaper, Puerto Rican voters overwhelmingly believe that corruption is by far the biggest problem faced by the Island and only 26.4% of those interviewed stated that they approve of the incumbent governor’s performance.
Dalmau’s climb has been fueled by the generalized outrage over the corruption of the two political parties that have shared power during the past 56 years, the New Progressive Party (PNP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). In public appearances throughout the Island, Dalmau boasts that, in the 78-year history of the PIP, there have never been any charges of corruption or fiscal mismanagement brought against any of its members. He also notes that his party has maintained this impeccable record while overseeing millions of dollars from the public Electoral Fund, managing considerable budgets at legislative offices and holding hundreds of seats at the municipal assembly level. Furthermore, most people in Puerto Rico see independentistas as people who are motivated by their convictions, rather than by economic gain. Historically, those who advocate for the independence of Puerto Rico have had to withstand great sacrifices and have faced political persecution and discrimination. This is a significant consideration in the minds of voters in favor of pro-independence candidates. Their conventional wisdom tells them that those who are willing to endure great sacrifices for their nation, are less likely to succumb to the temptations of money and politics.
In the 2024 election, Puerto Rican voters are desperately looking to overhaul a government that is fraught with widespread corruption and mismanagement. Juan Dalmau is the only candidate for governor with the integrity and capability to bring about this change.