New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Progressive Party Partido Nuevo Progresista
President	Jenniffer Gonzalez
Secretary	Jorge Santini
Founded	August 20, 1967; 57 years ago (1967-08-20)
Split from	Republican Statehood Party
Headquarters	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Membership (2020)	297,998
Ideology	Centrism Puerto Rican statehood Factions: Conservatism Liberalism
Political position	Centre to centre-right
Colors	Blue, white
Seats in the Senate	19 / 28
Seats in the House of Representatives	36 / 51
Municipalities	37 / 78
Seats in the U.S. House	0 / 1
Political parties

The New Progressive Party (often called PNP, from its Spanish name Partido Nuevo Progresista) is a major political party in Puerto Rico. Its main goal is for Puerto Rico to become a state of the United States.

The PNP is one of the two largest political parties in Puerto Rico. It currently holds the position of governor and has a majority of seats in both parts of the legislature.

The other main parties are the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), which wants Puerto Rico to remain a self-governing territory, and the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), which seeks full independence for Puerto Rico.

Members of the PNP often align with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party in the United States. Overall, the PNP is usually seen as a bit more conservative than the PPD.

The party started in 1967. At that time, some members of the older Statehood Party disagreed with a decision to not take part in a vote about statehood. These members then left and formed the PNP.

History of the New Progressive Party

How the Party Started

The New Progressive Party began in August 1967. Its first meeting was held in a sports complex in Country Club, San Juan, Puerto Rico. On January 5, 1968, the party was officially recognized.

The party was inspired by earlier groups that also wanted statehood for Puerto Rico. A key founder and first president was Luis A. Ferré. He wanted the PNP to be a new kind of party, not tied to the main political parties in the United States.

Under Luis A. Ferré's leadership, the PNP won the election in November 1968. Ferré became governor in January 1969. This was a big win for the new party.

The 1970s and 1980s

In 1972, Luis A. Ferré lost the election to Rafael Hernández Colón from the Popular Democratic Party. However, in 1976, the PNP returned to power. This time, Carlos Romero Barceló, who was the mayor of San Juan, led the party to victory. Romero Barceló became governor and ran against Hernández Colón three times.

In the 1980 election, Carlos Romero Barceló won again by a very small number of votes. Later, in 1984, Hernández Colón won the governorship back. In 1988, another PNP candidate, Baltasar Corrada del Río, lost to Hernández Colón, who won his third term.

The 1990s: New Leadership and Big Projects

The PNP came back to power in 1993 with Pedro Rosselló as governor. He was a doctor who had run for Congress before.

Governor Rosselló started a major effort to fight crime. He also began many large construction projects. These included the "Tren Urbano" (a city train system) and the "Superaqueduct" (a large water system). Other projects were the Puerto Rico Convention Center and the Puerto Rico Coliseum. He also worked to make healthcare free for people who couldn't afford it.

Rosselló also pushed for Puerto Rico to become a state. He held special votes, called plebiscites, to ask the public about their preferred political status. In 1998, another plebiscite was held. The opposing party asked people to vote for "None of the Above," and that option received the most votes.

In the 1996 election, Rosselló won a second term as governor. He received over one million votes, which was a very large victory.

Towards the end of the 1990s, the sale of the government-owned Puerto Rico Telephone Company caused some public unhappiness.

The 2000s: Challenges and Changes

Pedro Rosselló's time as governor ended in 2001 after eight years. His time in office saw protests about the use of Vieques island and a lot of economic growth.

In the 2000 election, the PNP lost the governorship and control of the legislature. This was the first time the party saw a decrease in votes since it started.

Party Leadership Changes

The early 2000s were a challenging time for the PNP. In 2003, Pedro Rosselló returned to Puerto Rico and ran for governor again in the party's primary election. He won against Carlos Pesquera.

2004 General Election

In the 2004 general election, Rosselló ran against Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. Rosselló lost by a very small number of votes. After a legal challenge, Acevedo Vilá was confirmed as governor.

Senate Leadership Dispute

In 2005, Rosselló became a Senator. This led to a disagreement over who would be the Senate President. The dispute ended when Rosselló was defeated in the 2008 party primary election.

2008 Party Primary for Governor

Luis G. Fortuño, Governor of Puerto Rico (2009–2013)

On March 9, 2008, Luis Fortuño won the PNP's primary election for governor. Pedro Rosselló accepted the results and announced he would retire from active politics after finishing his term as senator.

Some members of the party who had supported Rosselló were not happy with Fortuño's win. However, many of them later supported Fortuño in the general election.

2008 General Elections

On November 4, 2008, the PNP won a large victory in the general elections. They gained more seats in the legislature and won both the Resident Commissioner and Governor races.

The 2010s: Elections and Votes on Status

2012 Election and Plebiscite

In the 2012 election, Governor Fortuño did not win reelection. However, in a separate vote on Puerto Rico's political status, the PNP's goal of statehood received the most votes among the options. More than half of the voters rejected the current territorial status.

2016 Election

In the 2016 election, the PNP's candidate, Ricardo Rosselló, won the governorship. Jenniffer González became the new Resident Commissioner, and she was the first woman to hold that position. The PNP also won a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly.

The 2020s: Recent Elections

2020 Election

In the 2020 election, Pedro Pierluisi became governor. Also, Jorge Báez Pagán became the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives in Puerto Rico's history. In January 2021, PNP officials decided not to raise taxes. Instead, Governor Pierluisi chose to make changes to pensions to help balance the budget. This led to protests from several unions.

2024 Election

In the 2024 Puerto Rico gubernatorial election, the party's candidate Jenniffer González-Colón was elected Governor. The party also supported statehood in the 2024 Puerto Rican status referendum.

Party Symbol and Colors

The New Progressive Party is strongly known for its blue color and its logo, which features a palm tree. Because of this, many people in Puerto Rico call the PNP "La Palma" (The Palm).

The original logo had a light blue palm tree. Later, the words "statehood, security, progress" were added around the palm tree. The logo then changed to a blue oval with a white palm tree inside. The shade of blue was changed to a deep navy blue, similar to the blue on the United States flag.

In 2014, the party approved a new logo that includes the word "Igualdad" (equality).

Party Leaders

Party Presidents

Governors from the Party

Images for kids

• 

  Carlos Romero Barceló, Governor of Puerto Rico (1977–1985)

See also

In Spanish: Partido Nuevo Progresista para niños

• List of political parties in Puerto Rico
• Politics of Puerto Rico
• 51-star flag