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Puerto Rico
Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón
- January 2, 2025 - Current
- Republican
- August 5, 1976
- Puerto Rico
- University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA); Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (JD, LLM)
- Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
About
Jenniffer González-Colón was elected Governor on November 5, 2024. Prior to this election González-Colón served as Puerto Rico’s sole Representative to the U.S. Congress, known as Resident Commissioner, and was the first woman to hold the office. A lifelong Republican advocate for Puerto Rico statehood, González-Colón began her political journey in a special election in 2002, becoming the youngest member ever elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. She quickly ascended through the ranks, serving as Speaker of the House for four years and later as Minority Leader for an additional four years.
Her priorities as Puerto Rico’s voice in Congress included spearheading the economic recovery of the Island, securing equal treatment for Puerto Rico’s 3.2 million American citizens in federal laws, regulations, services, and funding, and ensuring that Congress responds decisively to the overwhelming mandate of Puerto Rico’s voters for admission as the 51st state of the Union as reflected by clear majorities through locally-held plebiscites in 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024.
Puerto Rico suffered its worst natural disaster in 90 years after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the Island in 2017. González-Colón’s efforts to keep Puerto Rico’s recovery at the forefront of Congress’ attention, organizing visits of members of Congress and administration officials, building bipartisan alliances, have resulted in over $117 billion in appropriations after the disaster, as well as legislation allowing infrastructure to be rebuilt to improved standards, full federal share in funding for rebuilding, and an extension in the emergency agencies’ mandates. Her contributions have been acknowledged through various honors, including being named one of the 100 most influential Republican women by NewsMax and consistently ranking among the top 20 in the Bipartisan Index rankings compiled by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University.
A product of the Puerto Rico public schools, holder of a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws degree (LL.M.), González-Colón served as Chair of the Puerto Rico Republican Party from 2015 to 2021, and First Vice Chair of the local pro-statehood party, Partido Nuevo Progresista.