TALLAHASSEE, FL— On general Election Day Puerto Rico will hold its seventh plebiscite in which they ask for statehood, as the majority has decided in the last two votes -- 2017 and 2020. The vote is important because it will continue creating pressure on Congress to act and treat Puerto Ricans as equals.
The seventh time's the charm, right?
This will be the first time the option to remain a territory will be nixed from the ballot, leaving the three options of statehood, independence, or independent free association for Puerto Ricans to vote on.
Suppose the 2024 Puerto Rico Status Act passes Congress, spearheaded in the House of Representatives by Arizona's Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva, and in the U.S. Senate by New Mexico Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich. In that case, the U.S. has to follow through on what Puerto Ricans choose in a future, binding vote.
This year's legislation is supported by 7 House Members from Florida, including Soto, and Republican Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar and Bill Posey.
The bill passed the House of Representatives in 2022 with strong bipartisan support, but because it did so too late in the session, Congress had to reinvigorate it later. Florida man Rep. Darren Soto, a Puerto Rican Democrat, introduced the "Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act", a 2021 blueprint bill to Grijalva's soon-to-be successful legislation.
Considering Florida has the highest population of Puerto Ricans nationwide, Soto has worked closely with the island government to assist in disaster recovery efforts. Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, have also spoken in favor of Puerto Rican statehood, though worried that Grijalva's bill would not be able to pass the Senate.
"Our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico have democratically expressed their support for becoming a state,” Rubio said after 53% voted for statehood in the 2020 plebiscite vote. “I urge my Senate colleagues to keep an open mind and learn more about statehood before taking a firm position in opposition. I will continue to do my part to one day achieve the 60 votes needed in the Senate for admission."
"Right now there is not enough support in Congress for Puerto Rico to become a state. But, I believe that as long as Puerto Rico fixes its fiscal affairs, there will be an opportunity for Puerto Rico to become a state,” Scott said in 2022, expressing concern over a lack of support for the Status Act.
“Puerto Rico will eventually become a state,” emphasized Scott.
Donald Trump, a joint Florida-New York man (the two states with the highest Puerto Rican populations), has had a complicated relationship with Puerto Rico. Though he pledged to support Puerto Ricans' right to self-determination in 2016, Hurricane Maria rapidly changed his mind a year later.
Former Democratic San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz criticized the then-President for tossing paper towels into a crowd and claiming that Democrats inflated death toll numbers to make Trump "look as bad as possible". Trump, in turn, claimed that Puerto Rico "shouldn't be talking about statehood until they get some people that really know what they're doing...With people like [Cruz] involved in Puerto Rico, I would be an absolute no [on statehood]."
This starkly contrasted with the GOP's 2016 platform, which strongly advocated for statehood. However, since Progressive Party Miguel Romero took over as San Juan Mayor in 2021, Trump released a statement last year once again acknowledging Puerto Rico's right to statehood. The 2024 RNC platform rules also makes plans for admitting Puerto Rico as a state before 2028.
