Meet The Republican Woman Running For Resident Commissioner From Puerto Rico

Election season 2020 is getting into full swing, and we’re excited that there has been a surge in Republican women running for public office. Here at FFL, we like to celebrate the conservative women running for office and give our readers and their potential voters a look at what they stand for. 

The filing date for the congressional races for 2020 in Puerto Rico passed earlier this year. Since Puerto Rico is a territory, its election process is a little different – they do not elect senators and do not have electoral votes in the general election for U.S. President. However, they do participate in presidential primaries and elect an at-large representative referred to as the Resident Commissioner or Delegate. The Resident Commissioner has limited voting power but can sit on committees.

Puerto Rico will host its Republican primary on June 7, 2020. Here’s what you need to know about the Republican woman running for federal office:

Jenniffer González (PR-At Large)

Incumbent Resident Commissioner González is running for re-election in 2020. She was first elected in 2016, becoming the first female and the youngest Resident Commissioner. She served as Speaker of the House in 2008 in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and as the Minority Leader in 2012. In 2015, she was elected as chair of the Puerto Rico Republican Party.

Since she does not have the same voting power as her colleagues, her policy positions focus exclusively on advocating for federal dollars to go to Puerto Rico, encouraging the addition of territories in federal law, regulation, and services, and pushing the United States to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state. She has also co-sponsored bills relating to veteran affairs. In an interview in 2017, she described herself as a pro-small government and a pro-business conservative. Resident Commissioners serve a four year term, so if re-elected, González will serve until 2024.