A call for Puerto Rico gov. to resign by leading Democrats

Democratic presidential hopefuls are expressing solidarity with Puerto Rican protesters in denouncing the island territory’s governor — with some candidates joining the call for resignation — as thousands of Puerto Ricans take to the streets after chats containing offensive comments were leaked.

Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro on Friday became the first candidate to explicitly say Gov. Ricardo Rosselló should resign, a position later joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who said last week that Rosselló “must answer to the Puerto Rican people.”

Other candidates have also weighed in, saying they stand with the governor’s critics. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, was in Puerto Rico on Friday “to support protesters,” a spokesperson for the candidate told the Washington Post. She’s expected to stay until Sunday. In tweets, Gabbard and self-help author Marianne Williamson used the #Ricky Renuncia (“Resign Ricky”) hashtag, which is associated with the protest movement.

Protesters are outraged over leaked online messages between Rosselló and other officials in which the governor disparages gay people and women, jokes about someone shooting the female mayor of San Juan, speaks lightly of the deaths of hurricane victims and insults journalists, opponents and even supporters. Rosselló’s constituents say they are also fed up with financial mismanagement and charges of corruption against public servants.

This month, the FBI arrested Puerto Rico’s former secretary of education and five other people for allegedly misusing $15.5 million in federal money by directing it to well-connected but unqualified contractors. The territory has declared bankruptcy and is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in 2017.

The more than 3 million residents of Puerto Rico cannot vote in the presidential election, but they can vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries. And candidates have signaled they are paying attention to the territory as they seek support from the Latino community.

Because they are born American citizens, Puerto Ricans who live in the continental United States or Hawaii are eligible to vote in the general election. They are an especially important demographic in the swing state of Florida, where Democrats hope their growing numbers could help turn the state blue — especially after President Donald Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria.

On Wednesday, Warren called Rosselló’s comments “deeply offensive,” saying “his actions are hurtful & undermine the public trust.”

Fellow 2020 hopeful and former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke expressed similar support for the governor’s critics the next day — in Spanish.

And Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden later tweeted on the issue, too, sharing their support for the protesters but not calling outright for the governor’s resignation.