Senator Bill Nelson Endorses Statehood for Puerto Rico

Senator Bill Nelson, running for reelection in Florida, endorsed statehood for Puerto Rico, saying, “Statehood is the answer.”

Nelson has been very vocal about the need to support Puerto Rico with needed funds for recovery and rebuilding. he has spoken up for Puerto Rico and voted in favor of bills providing recovery funds.

NPR quoted Nelson saying, “No American should have to go through what the people of Puerto Rico are still going through.”

Nelson’s opponent, Rick Scott, has also spoken up supporting statehood for Puerto Rico.

Does it matter if members of the Senate support statehood for Puerto Rico? Remember, the U.S. Congress includes both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since Puerto Rico is a territory, Congress has complete power over Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico officially requested statehood earlier this year. Congress has not yet responded to that request. We need to make Congress aware that Puerto Rico matters. Electing and encouraging statehood supporters is one way to do that.

Join us in thanking Senator Nelson:

What about your legislators. Do the people who represent you in the federal government support statehood for Puerto Rico? Use the SoundOff widget on the right to communicate with them.

And what about the candidates in your local midterm elections? What is their position on statehood for Puerto Rico? Whether you live in Ohio or Oklahoma or any of the 50 states, your representatives will have a vote on whether Puerto Rico becomes a state.

If you live in Puerto Rico, you have no voting representative in the legislature at all. You have no senators, and just one non-voting member in the House. This will be true until Puerto Rico is admitted as the 51st state.

That means that people living in a state should take the opportunity to speak up for the residents of Puerto Rico. Contact your legislators.