Puerto Rico Senate President and New Progressive Party (PNP) vice president Thomas Rivera Schatz said in social media posts on Saturday that the PNP has "no room for corruption or mediocrity" and that, ahead of the 2028 elections, the party must pick candidates with no public accusations against them and with "moral authority." In a video taken at an event ratifying the PNP’s Camuy municipal committee on Wednesday, he said party founder Luis A. Ferré built the PNP with honest, decent, hard-working people, and that "every time the PNP governs, Puerto Rico progresses."
He added that the party does not need to refound itself and has a structure that puts the party and its causes above candidates and leaders. The posts came days after the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) held its general assembly in Ponce on Sunday. Rivera Schatz has been a leading critic of Governor Jenniffer González’s team and recently accused Family Secretary Suzanne Roig of lying at a public hearing about the multimillion-dollar NOLA Education contract.
He has not said what office he will seek in 2028; the governor has attributed criticism of her government to an alleged interest in challenging her for the nomination. González, as PNP president, was invited to the Camuy event but could not attend, said Camuy Mayor and local PNP president Gabriel Hernández. House Speaker Carlos "Johnny" Méndez also did not attend.
Hernández said the party is reorganizing across all 78 towns and is "greasing the political and electoral machine" for 2028.