Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló
wants hurricane-displaced families to return to the island.
Former Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Rosselló announced Monday he was endorsing U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson for Senate — though his son, the current governor, remains officially neutral.
Pedro Rosselló, governor of the island from 1993 to 2001 and father of current governor Ricardo Rosselló, called Nelson “a champion of the Puerto Rican people.”
“Bill Nelson has been a tireless advocate for the people of Florida and Puerto Rico in the U.S. Senate. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Nelson led efforts in Congress for Puerto Ricans, both on the island and in Florida,” Rosselló said in a statement.
“From health care to education to disaster relief, Sen. Nelson has worked to ensure Puerto Ricans received the same treatment and opportunities as other American citizens — and will undoubtedly continue his steadfast support for Puerto Rico,” Rosselló said. “When the Trump administration turned their back on Puerto Rico, Nelson fought to pass a supplemental budget that provided much-needed relief for Puerto Ricans.”
He also said Nelson pushed for billions in federal disaster relief and for answers to the “woeful federal response,” while also advocating for health care and housing assistance for Puerto Rican evacuees in Florida.
“Well before the hurricanes devastated the island, Senator Nelson was instrumental in advancing the important issues of Puerto Ricans and all Floridians,” Rosselló said. “For 18 years he has been both a friend and a champion of the people of Puerto Rico.”
Pedro Rosselló, like his son, is a member of the New Progressive Party in Puerto Rico and is also affiliated with the Democratic Party. Political parties in Puerto Rico don’t completely align with mainland U.S. parties, and former Gov. Luis Fortuño and current Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González are also members of the New Progressive Party but are affiliated with Republicans.
Rosselló officially announced his endorsement with Nelson in Tampa Monday morning before traveling to Kissimmee for an event at Willer’s Supermarket in the afternoon.
“I am honored to have the endorsement of Governor Rosselló and truly appreciate his faith that I will continue my work on behalf of the Puerto Rican community,” Nelson said in a statement. “We agree our fellow Americans should be treated with dignity and respect and receive the same help as those in Florida or Texas following disasters, which unfortunately has not been the case.”
Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who has visited Central Florida several times since Hurricane Maria struck his island in September, including Saturday, has not endorsed any Senate candidate and his office had no comment Monday on Pedro Rossello’s endorsement.
But the incumbent governor has called for political retribution against candidates he believed have not been helpful to Puerto Rico and called for a “Get out the Vote” movement designed to register newly arrived Puerto Ricans to vote.
“We’re going to make an evaluation. In this phase, we don’t want to enter into who’s a friend and who’s not; we want to give everybody a space to show that they can be a friend and ultimately see if they are friends of Puerto Rico,” Ricardo
Rosselló said in an interview in January with the Orlando Sentinel.
Ryan Patmintra, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate campaign, said, “Bill Nelson has had half a century to fight for Puerto Rico, but instead, he only shows up to talk a big game when his own job is at stake.”
“Even today, Bill Nelson will attempt
to blame politicians within the federal government for not treating Puerto Rico fairly, all while refusing to admit he has been one of the very fixtures of the federal government for decades,” Patmintra said. “Floridians and Puerto Ricans know that actions speak louder than words, which means when it really counts, Bill Nelson has been absent.”