A new poll released by the Puerto Rican Statehood Council (PRSC) shows that Hispanic and Latino voters continue to overwhelmingly support making Puerto Rico a state and are more likely to support candidates who align with this interest.
The Poll's Findings in Detail
The PRSC conducted the survey with a sample size of 1,000 respondents across the United States, with an oversample of 409 Puerto Rican respondents (600 of the respondents were Puerto Rican).
Even without the oversample, 68% of the non-Puerto Rican Hispanic respondents supported making the territory a state, and 71% of the Puerto Rican respondents also approved.
56% of Hispanic respondents and 67% of Puerto Rican respondents also said they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports statehood, and a majority of the respondents also believed that making Puerto Rico a state would improve the U.S. economy.
Even when party affiliation is factored in, the majority of Democratic and Republican respondents still said they support Puerto Rican statehood.
A Party Plank?
"Today's polling confirms that it is a political winner for Republicans and Democrats to both support statehood for Puerto Rico," said PRSC Chairman and former Puerto Rico Attorney General José Fuentes-Agostini. "Statewide and swing district poli1cians running in Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio should take note of today's results and how supporting statehood will improve their electoral chances as there are millions of Hispanics, and Puerto Ricans living in these states."
Latin Americans, including Puerto Ricans, are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, and both parties would benefit greatly by gaining their support.
Still, despite 56% of Puerto Ricans voting for statehood in November 2024, Congress has yet to enact the measure.
"Congress must now do its part to empower the 3.2 million U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico and live up to America's founding values of government by consent of the governed," said George Laws Garcia at the time.
