New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Progressive Party Partido Nuevo Progresista
President	Pedro Pierluisi
Secretary	Hiram Torres Montalvo
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	10 / 27
Seats in the House of Representatives	21 / 51
Municipalities	37 / 78
Seats in the U.S. House	1 / 1
Political parties

The New Progressive Party (known as Spanish: Partido Nuevo Progresista, or PNP) is a major political party in Puerto Rico. This party wants Puerto Rico to become a state of the United States.

The PNP is one of the two main political parties in Puerto Rico. It currently holds the positions of governor and resident commissioner.

The PNP is different from two other parties:

• The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) wants Puerto Rico to keep its current status. This means it would remain a self-governing territory of the U.S.
• The Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) wants Puerto Rico to become a completely independent country.

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

The party started in 1967. Some members of the Republican Statehood Party left because they disagreed with a decision to not take part in a vote about statehood. These members then formed the PNP.

History of the New Progressive Party

How the Party Started

The New Progressive Party began in August 1967. This happened at a sports complex in Country Club, San Juan, Puerto Rico. On January 5, 1968, the party officially became a political group.

The party was formed by people who wanted Puerto Rico to become a U.S. state. Its first leader was Luis A. Ferré. He said the PNP would not be tied to either the Republican or Democratic parties in the U.S.

Under Luis A. Ferré, the PNP won the election in November 1968. He became governor in January 1969. The PNP defeated the candidate from the Popular Democratic Party (PDP).

The 1970s: Changes in Leadership

In 1972, Luis A. Ferré lost the election to Rafael Hernández Colón from the PDP.

However, in 1976, the PNP returned to power. This time, Carlos Romero Barceló, who was the mayor of San Juan, became the party's leader and won the governorship. He would run against Hernández Colón three times.

The 1980s: Close Elections and Challenges

In the 1980 elections, Carlos Romero Barceló won reelection by a very small number of votes.

During his time as governor, a big event called the Cerro Maravilla incident happened. Two young men were killed by the police. At first, it was reported they resisted arrest. But later, it became clear they were shot while already in police custody. This event caused a lot of controversy.

Also, the mayor of San Juan, Hernán Padilla, left the PNP to start his own party. These events helped Rafael Hernández Colón win the governorship again in 1984. In 1988, the PNP candidate, Baltasar Corrada del Río, lost to Hernández Colón, who won for a third time.

The 1990s: New Leadership and Big Projects

The PNP came back to power in 1993. Pedro Rosselló, a doctor, became governor. He had run for Congress before but didn't win.

Governor Rosselló started a strong campaign against crime. He used the Puerto Rico National Guard to help the police. During his time, many large construction projects were started. These included the "Tren Urbano" (a metro rail system) and the "Superaqueduct." He also worked to make public services private and provide free health care for people in need.

Rosselló also pushed for Puerto Rico to become a state. In 1993, a vote was held to ask the public about Puerto Rico's political status. He also held another vote in 1998. The opposing Popular Democratic Party asked people to boycott this vote. They said it was set up to favor statehood. Many people voted for "None of the Above."

In the 1996 elections, Rosselló won a second term as governor. He received over one million votes.

In 1998, the government sold the Puerto Rico Telephone Company. This led to a big strike by workers and protests. This event, along with some cases of people misusing money, affected the PNP's popularity.

The 2000s: Ups and Downs

Pedro Rosselló finished his eight years as governor in 2001. His time included protests about the U.S. Navy's use of Vieques Island for training. The island also saw a lot of economic growth.

In 2000, Carlos I. Pesquera ran for governor for the PNP. He was expected to win, but the PDP's campaign focused on problems that happened during Rosselló's time. This hurt Pesquera's chances.

The PNP lost the 2000 election. They lost the governor's seat, the resident commissioner, and control of the legislature. This was the first time the PNP saw a drop in votes since it started.

Party Challenges and Leadership Changes

The PNP faced challenges in the early 2000s. In 2003, Pedro Rosselló returned to Puerto Rico. He ran against Carlos Pesquera in the PNP primary election for governor and won.

2004 General Elections: A Close Race

In the 2004 election, Rosselló ran for governor again. His opponent was Aníbal Acevedo Vilá from the PDP. Acevedo Vilá's campaign gained strength after debates. Rosselló lost by a very small number of votes. This showed that voters cared about issues like how the government was managed.

Senate Conflict

In 2005, Rosselló became a Senator. This led to a disagreement with Senate President Kenneth McClintock over who would control the Senate. This conflict caused some PNP senators to be removed from the party for a time. The issues were later resolved.

2008 Primary Election for Governor

On March 7, 2007, Rosselló decided to run for governor again. He wanted to prevent Luis Fortuño from winning the PNP's primary election. However, on March 9, 2008, Rosselló lost the primary to Luis Fortuño by a large number of votes. Rosselló then announced he would retire from active politics.

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

2008 Elections: A Big Win

On November 4, 2008, the PNP had a big victory. They won the governor's race and the resident commissioner race by a large margin. They also gained more seats in the Legislative Assembly.

The 2010s: Votes on Status and New Leaders

2012 Election and Status Vote

In the 2012 election, Governor Fortuño did not win reelection. However, his running mate, Pedro R. Pierluisi Urrutia, received the most votes in Puerto Rico for his position.

In a separate vote in 2012, the PNP won on two questions about Puerto Rico's political status. Most voters (54%) said they did not want to continue the current relationship with the U.S. Of those who wanted a different status, 61% voted for statehood.

2016 Election: A New Governor

On November 8, 2016, the PNP's candidate for governor, Ricardo Rosselló, won the election. He defeated the PDP's candidate, David Bernier. In the same election, Jenniffer González became the new Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. She was the first woman to hold this position. The PNP also won a majority of seats in the Senate and House of Representatives. However, the PDP won more mayoral races across the island.

The 2020s: Recent Events

2020 Election

In the 2020 election, Jorge Báez Pagán became the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives in Puerto Rico's history.

In January 2021, the new PNP officials promised not to raise taxes. This was because Puerto Rico had a high unemployment rate. Instead, Governor Pierluisi chose to reduce pensions to balance the budget. This led to protests from many unions in Puerto Rico. The protestors wanted a bill to guarantee a "dignified retirement."

Party Logo and Symbolism

The New Progressive Party is known for its use of the color blue. Its logo features a palm tree. Because of this, many Puerto Ricans call the PNP "La Palma" (The Palm). The palm tree remains an important symbol for the party.

The first logo had a light blue palm tree. It was surrounded by words like "statehood, security, progress." Later, the palm tree was put inside a blue oval, and the colors were changed. The blue color was made darker, similar to the blue on the U.S. flag.

In 2014, the party approved a new logo. This new logo includes the word "Igualdad," which means "equality" in English.

Party Leaders

Party Presidents

Gubernatorial Nominees (Candidates for Governor)

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