Wanda Vázquez Garced facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wanda Vázquez
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Vázquez in 2022
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| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office August 7, 2019 – January 2, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto) |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Pierluisi |
| 19th Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 2017 – August 7, 2019 |
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| Governor | Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto) |
| Preceded by | César Miranda |
| Succeeded by | Dennise Longo Quiñones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Wanda Vázquez Garced
July 9, 1960 San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | New Progressive |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 2019) Republican (2019–present) |
| Spouse | Jorge Díaz Reverón |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law (JD) |
Wanda Emilia Vázquez Garced (born July 9, 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. She served as the 188th Governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021. Before becoming governor, she was the 19th Secretary of Justice from 2017 to 2019.
Wanda Vázquez is a member of the New Progressive Party. She is the second woman to serve as governor in Puerto Rico's history, following Sila María Calderón. She became governor after Ricardo Rosselló resigned. Her time as governor also followed a court decision that ended Pedro Pierluisi's short period as governor. This happened after a big event known as the Telegramgate Scandal.
In August 2020, she ran for governor again but did not win her party's nomination. She lost to Pedro Pierluisi in the primary election. In August 2022, she faced legal charges related to her 2020 election campaign.
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Early Life and Education
Wanda Vázquez was born in Santurce, San Juan. She grew up in Guaynabo. Her parents worked in a factory. Her father was a security guard.
She started her schooling in Guaynabo. From a young age, Vázquez was interested in law. She once shared that watching TV shows like Hawaii Five-O with her father made her want to become a lawyer. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico for her first degree. Later, she earned her law degree from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law.
Career in Law and Government
During the 1980s, Vázquez worked for the Puerto Rico Department of Housing. After that, she became a district attorney for the Puerto Rico Department of Justice. She worked in this role for 20 years.
Vázquez focused on cases involving domestic and gender violence. She also worked in the Criminal Division in Bayamón. In 2010, she was chosen to lead the Office for Women's Rights. In November 2016, Ricardo Rosselló, who was about to become governor, nominated her to be the Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico. She was approved and started her new role in January 2017.
Becoming Governor of Puerto Rico
Wanda Vázquez was expected to become Governor of Puerto Rico after Ricardo Rosselló resigned in August 2019. However, some people did not want her to take the position. There were protests, and people called for her to resign. The hashtag #WandaRenuncia (which means "Wanda Resign" in Spanish) became popular online.
Vázquez stated on Twitter that she did not want to be governor. She said she would only take the job if the law required it. On July 31, Governor Rosselló tried to appoint Pedro Pierluisi as the new Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is usually next in line to become governor after the governor.
However, the Puerto Rican Senate did not approve Pierluisi in time. So, when Rosselló resigned on August 2, Pierluisi became governor for a short time. But because the Senate had not confirmed him, his position was questioned.
On August 7, 2019, the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico decided that Pierluisi's appointment was not constitutional. They removed him from office. At that moment, Wanda Vázquez became the second female governor of Puerto Rico.
As governor, Vázquez said she wanted to get back money meant for Hurricane Maria relief. She also wanted to check all government contracts to make sure they were fair and free of corruption. She aimed to work with President Donald Trump to help Puerto Rico.
After the 2019–20 Puerto Rico earthquakes, people found unused aid from Hurricane Maria in a warehouse. This led Vázquez to fire her emergency management director. In July 2020, an investigation began into her handling of aid for earthquake victims. She denied any wrongdoing.
On March 12, 2020, Vázquez declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico. She activated the Puerto Rican National Guard because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico. In October 2020, she supported Donald Trump for the 2020 United States presidential election.
2020 Primary Election
On August 16, 2020, Wanda Vázquez ran for governor again in her party's primary election. She lost the race to Pedro Pierluisi. Pierluisi won with about 57.9% of the votes, while Vázquez received 42.1%. After the results, Vázquez accepted her loss and respected the voters' choice.
Personal Life
Wanda Vázquez is married to Jorge Díaz Reverón. He is a judge in Caguas, Puerto Rico. They have two daughters named Stephanie and Beatriz Díaz Vázquez.
See also
In Spanish: Wanda Vázquez para niños
- List of female governors in the United States
- List of party switchers in the United States
- Telegramgate
