Advocates of statehood would sweep elections in Puerto Rico if the election for Governor were held today. That’s the clear message of a poll that has has a good track record in past elections.
Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla of the “commonwealth” party would lose to either of the two most popular statehood party candidates.
- Ricky Rossello, son of former Gov. Pedro Rossello (1993-2000), would get 43% of the vote, Garcia 24%, the Independence Party’s Juan Dalmau 6%, and candidates of other parties 5%.
- Resident Commissioner in the U.S. House Pedro Pierluisi would get 37%, Garcia 23%, Dalmau 6%, and other candidates 11%.
66% of the 1,000 voters questioned October 20-25 said that there is no chance that they would vote to re-elect Garcia.
The sample of voters scientifically selected by a professional survey research company would also not vote for any of the “commonwealth” party’s three other top elected officials.
- Senate President Eduardo was out of the question for 63%.
- 69% would not consider House of Representatives Speaker Jaime Perello.
- San Juan Mayor Carmen Cruz Soto would not be a possibility for 66%.
45% who voted for Garcia when he edged out pro-statehood Gov. Luis Fortuno in 2012 by .7% answered that they would not vote for Garcia again.
26% of members of the “commonwealth” party said that there was no possibility that they would vote for Garcia.
Only 19% approved of Garcia’s leadership.
Garcia’s top lieutenant, Secretary of State David Bernier — who has never held elective office, was the least objectionable ‘commonwealther.’ And 46% of those surveyed answered that there is no way they would vote for him.
Rossello and Pierluisi both would be considered by more voters. Only 39% ruled out Rossello and 41% Pierluisi.
A majority of those surveyed had a negative view of the “commonwealth” party as a whole — 51%. Only 26% had a positive view.
Bhatia’s job performance was approved of by more voters than any other ‘commonwealther’ — and his approval rating was only 27%.
Only 19% approved of Perello’s work. San Juan Mayor Cruz also had just 19% approval for her tenure.
By contrast, Pierluisi, the statehood party president and representative of the Commonwealth to the Federal government, had a 41% job approval rating.
46% gave Garcia’s administration of the insular government an “F” and 15% gave him a “D” for it. Only 18% gave him an “A” or a “B.”
Again by contrast, Pierluisi got an “A” or a “B” for his job performance from 40% of voters. He was graded with a “D” by 12% and an “F” by 18%.
Rossello, who has never held public office, was the favored candidate for governor in the statehood party. He garnered the support of 61% of party members to Pierluisi’s 25% and 8% for Senator Thomas Rivera Schatz, a former Senate President.
Among all voters, Rossello also led for the statehood party nomination, with 36% to 22% for Pierluisi and and Rivera Schatz’s 7%. Voters of any party or no party can vote in a primary in Puerto Rico by
registering as a party member at the polling booth.
Rossello’s leads clearly came from his advocacy of statehood: 50% of party voters saw him as the party leader most committed to statehood, while 26% saw Pierluisi as the most committed. Rossello was held as the most committed to statehood by 35% of all voters; Pierluisi by 28%.
Only 5% of those interviewed thought that the territory was on the right path. 69% said it definitely was on the wrong one.
The poll showed that voters think the right path is statehood.
The survey has a 3% margin of error. It is conducted twice a year on behalf of the Puerto Rican newspaper, El Nuevo Dia.
This post was originally written in English and may be being auto-translated by Google.
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