Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood Democratic Party (PDPR) is moving to reposition the island in national party politics after the U.S. midterm elections, laying out a strategy to strengthen ties with Democratic leaders on the mainland and advance federal priorities ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle. At a meeting convened by PDPR President Luis Dávila Pernas, current and former elected officials, lawmakers and mayors mapped out a long-term effort to keep the island part of national Democratic discussions as Washington looks toward the next presidential election and a new Congress.
The strategy has two tracks: building relationships with Democratic leaders and campaigns across the United States, and coordinating with Puerto Rico’s own elected leadership on issues from healthcare funding to political status. Priorities participants identified include ending Puerto Rico’s territorial status, securing a permanent solution for Medicaid funding, and pushing for the transition of residents from the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The PDPR plans to seek meetings with Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera, Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz, House Speaker Carlos "Johnny" Méndez Nuñez and leaders of Puerto Rico’s mayoral organizations, to identify shared priorities and develop a coordinated agenda for engagement with federal policymakers.