Puerto Rican voters show a preference for statehood
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Ricans showed support in a nonbinding referendum measure to change the island’s status as a U. S. territory, preferring tobecomethe 51stU. S. state even as they ousted their pro- statehood governor from office, according to official resultsWednesday.
Puerto Ricans faced two questions in a status vote Tuesday, with the first asking if Puerto Rico should keep its status as a selfgoverning commonwealth. Nearly 54 percent of voters said no.
The second question asked voters to choose their preference among three nonterritorial options — U. S. statehood, independence or a sovereign free association with ties to the United States.
Statehood gained 61 percent versus 33 percent for sovereign free association, under which terms of the relationship between a sovereign Puerto Rico and the United States would be detailed in a new pact.
Meanwhile, Gov. Luis Fortuno of the New Progressive Party, which supports statehood, conceded defeat in Puerto Rico’s gubernatorial race after narrowly losing his re- election bid to Sen. Alejandro Garcia Padilla of the pro- commonwealth Popular Democratic Party.
In other developments:
Republicans took control of the Wisconsin Legislature, five months after Democrats seized a slim majority in the Senate during a fight over Gov. Scott Walker’s measures to curb public- sector unions. The result represented the third switch in control of the Senate in two years because of the bitter battle over unions.
After Tuesday’s election, Republicans emerged with apreliminary 17- 15 majority in the Senate and a comfortable majority Assembly.
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A former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who was removed from office nine years ago for refusing to take down aTen Commandments monument has won back his job. Republican Roy Moore defeated Democrat Bob Vance, a circuit judge, in Tuesday’s election for the Supreme Court seat.
The repeal by Michigan voters of law that enhanced the state’s power to intervene in financially troubled local governments and school districts could open the door to municipal bankruptcy, Gov. Rick Snyder saidWednesday.
Nearly 53 percent rejected the 2011 emergency manager law, which gave state- appointed emergency managers power to run troubled governments and suspend collective bargaining agreements. It had been suspended before the vote. Voters in an Oklahoma approved amendment to the state’s constitution to end affirmative- action programs in state government designed to increase hiring of minorities andwomenin the state’s 115 agencies.
FloridaDemocrat Earl Wood and Alabama Republican Charles Beasleywon their elections but will not take office. Both men died weeks before Tuesday’s election, yet managed to beat their living opponents.
Wood died Oct. 15 at age 96, during his campaign for a 12th term as Orange County tax collector in Orlando, Fla. He had been criticized for rarely coming into the office while collecting a $ 150,000 salary and $ 90,000 pension.
Beasley, 77, died Oct. 12 while trying to reclaim his old seat on the Bibb County Commission in central Alabama. He won about 52 percent of the vote.
In Orlando, Scott Randolph, a Democratic activist, was selected by his party to receive votes cast for Wood and will assume the office. In Alabama, the governor will appoint a newcommissioner with input fromlocalRepublicans.