Thread by @munizfraticelli

(This'll be a bit long.)

There's been a lot of confusing talk about Puerto Rico Governor Rosselló being a Democrat. But this betrays a lack of knowledge about PR politics.

PR politics turns on the "status question"—the relationship between the Island and the United States.

1/

No one runs for office in Puerto Rico on the Democratic or Republican ticket. No one. Period.

There are several local parties. The two principal ones are the New Progressive Party (PNP in Spanish) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).

2/

The PNP is generally a right to center-right party, socially conservative and pro-business.

But the raison d'être of the PNP is promoting the admission of PR as a US state ("statehood").

This is Governor Rosselló's party.

3/

The PPD is generally a centrist party, with a big tent that includes center-left to center-right.

It's the party that created the Commonwealth (the current status) and its raison d'être is to defend some form of the current relationship with the US.

4/

There is also a small Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) which (you guessed it!) seeks independence. On social and economic issues it is generally left to center-left.

It is historically and culturally relevant, but not electorally competitive.

5/

There are also some independent candidates, some of whom had a significant showing in the last election, but they are not important to the Democrat/ Republican question.

The PNP and the PPD are the parties that contest elections every four years.

6/

On top of the local political parties is laid out a weird, incongruous layer of Democratic and Republican politics.

But the Democratic and Republican parties don't correspond to the PPD and PNP. Not even close.

7/

To know why we have to look at the US Constitution, the party conventions, and a bit of history.

Puerto Ricans can't vote in US presidential elections. There are no PR electors in the electoral college.

PR only has a non-voting Resident Commissioner in the House.

8/

But the Democratic and Republican parties are private organizations. They can give votes in party conventions to whomever they want.

Puerto Rico has (fairly large) delegations in both the Democratic Party and the GOP.

9/

PR delegates get to vote on who'll be the Democratic or Republican candidate for President, even if they can't vote on the President in the US general election.

(PR residents also make donations to both parties. And if they move a US state, they get to vote for President.)

10/

That's why there are Democratic and a Republican politicians in PR, even if these parties don't actually run for local elections.

The D and R labels *only matter* within the parties. They are almost completely irrelevant to PR voters.

11/

The PNP (Governor Rosselló's party) is mostly Republican. PNP members control most of the GOP delegation from Puerto Rico.

The PPD (opposition) is mostly Democrat. It's members make up the majority of the PR Democratic delegation.

12/

But there are exceptions. Governor Rosselló is one of them. Some PNP members are Democrats because they agree with the Dem platform. Some PPD members are Republicans for the same reason.

But mostly it's about strategy. Strategy about the status question.

13/

You see, back in 1979 a former PNP governor, Carlos Romero Barceló, struck a deal with President Carter. If Carter would support statehood, Romero Barceló would support Carter in the Democratic party.

14/

Other PNP politicians lobbied the GOP in favor of statehood, and promised to support GOP candidates in that party in return for support.

The PPD was historically close to the Democrats because of the New Deal, but also played both sides (though to a lesser degree).

15/

The result is that Democratic and Republican labels in Puerto Rico carry very little weight. They do not make or break alliances or influence policy.

Case in point: the current PR Resident Commissioner.

16/

Puerto Rico doesn't have a lieutenant governor. The gubernatorial candidate's "running mate" is the candidate for Resident Commissioner.

(scroll back to tweet #8, then come back)

17/

When Rosselló ran for governor, his "running mate" was Jennifer González. They were both elected on the PNP ticket.

And she's a Republican.

And it didn't matter.

Because their only relevant party affiliation in PR elections is PNP.

18/

Yesterday, Governor Rosselló announced he would step down as president of the PNP.

The interim president is Tomás Rivera Schatz.

He's a Republican.

And it doesn't matter.

Because their only relevant party affiliation in PR elections is PNP.

19/

Now, the rot in the PNP goes deep. Rosselló is a petulant man-child. Rivera Schatz is a thug and is accused of even deeper corruption.

(There's rot in the PPD too, but it's a different kind.)

But the point is, this has nothing to do with Democrats and Republicans.

20/

The American media's insistence on these labels is misleading.

The truth is, PR politicians' affiliation with US parties is mostly mercenary, and doesn't inform the current scandal in any meaningful way.

21/fin

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