Now it gets interesting. Just a month before Puerto Ricans get to determine the fate of incumbent pro-statehood Republican governor Luis Fortuño as well as vote on yet another non-binding political status plebiscite, today’s poll by El Nuevo Día (the island’s largest newspaper) has Fortuño trailing pro-commonwealth Democratic challenger Alejandro García Padilla by just two points, 41%-39%.
The poll, published today, suggests that Fortuño continues to gain as he seeks his second term as Puerto Rico’s governor. According to reports, García Padilla was leading by 5 percentage points after an August poll and by 7 percentage points after a poll in May. Fortuño, who favors statehood for Puerto Rico and is head of the island’s New Progressive Party, has recently turned his campaign push as a push for statehood, even though the upcoming plebiscite—held the same day as the elections—would be non-binding, meaning that the US Congress would still have to decide Puerto Rico’s political status and while Mitt Romney has promised that if Puerto Ricans chose statehood in the plebiscite he would push for the island’s entry into the Union, President Obama went on record last year to say that the plebiscite’s results would have to be pretty definitive before Congress could act.
As for Puerto Rico’s Independentista candidate Juan Dalmau? According to the latest poll, he is still stuck at 4%. That is less than those who told said they were still undecided (6%). Ouch.
So, in the end, what can be said about where Puerto Rico’s race stands? Let’s just say this: In the end, Fortuño, the Republican, is like President Obama, the Democrat. Both are trying to tell voters that things are getting better, and they both have a tough case to make. Fortuño can also dangle the fantasy of statehood, which is still attractive to about 40%-45% of the island.
García Padilla is a lot like Romney. Not the greatest of candidates. But just like Romney, if García Padilla keeps pounding Fortuño’s record, just like Romney is pounding Obama’s, García Padilla (and Romney) just might win. But polls are polls, and who knows what will happen on November 6. What we can guarantee is this: it should make for an intense night, both on the mainland and on the island.
Franky Benítez 
Garcia Padilla does not deserve to win but Fortuno definitely should lose because his policies and the contracts given to incompetents have wasted millions of dollars necessary to provide needed services.It is definitely time for our voters to think very seriously about how they vote.
That is a great way to put it.
So let’s see…yeah, a vote for the Independent candidate will solve all of PRico’s problems. Let’s follow in lock step with Chavez and the rest of latin america that is going socialism. Socialism is great for the lazy who want the same success as motivated people. Under socialism the rich get poorer, but so do the poor. If Chavez did not have the oil industry to support his socialist agende Venezuela would be as dirt poor as Cuba. No thanks! Capitalism may have it’s downfalls, but nothing strong, harsh laws against crooks couldn’t solve.
The Chavez election was last week. Varela is talking about PR. But since flyboy brings up socialism, what is Social Security, Medicare , Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Public Housing,etc… ? Anda ,they are social programs in the USA, and actually programs that everybody like since they are good programs. See what you made me do, flyboy, write about socialist type programs in the USA. We should address PR, which by the way shares the same US programs and have instituted some social programs of their own, like subsidizing corporate america and having them not pay their own way like everyone else does, Mi Salud, etc..So thanks to Capitalism we have all these social programs. I can beleive Iam saying this. So at the end socialism is nurture by capitalism and viceversa. As a matter of fact thanks to all those US programs in Puerto Rico many do not want to work since they beleive they are rich in their poorness. This is crazy. But Varela was talking about the elections in PR. My predictionis the PPD will win, regarless if they are now tied.
Thanks José Ortiz. I agree with you 100%.Anyone who will stand on his own feet will be critized by all those like Flyboy. Their lack of understanding and submission to the empire blind them and anesthetize their neurons. The great majority of the problems that we suffer in P.R. are due to those socialist programs(perhaps more than in real socialist countries) that FLYBOY dislike so much.I recommend that he does some reading and allow himself to see beyond his fanatic way.
“Anyone who will stand on his own feet will be critized by all those like Flyboy.” Jose B. Torres
I like to think of it as constructive criticism.
“It is definitely time for our voters to think very seriously about how they vote.” Jose B. Torres
By your own admission Mr. Torres, you seemed to ruled out both the PPD and PPR candidates which left just the Independent candidate whom we know is leaning towards a more truer socialist approach for PRico if elected.
As for a capitalist country like the U.S. incorporating programs like medicare, medicade and SSN is perfectly understandable and acceptable. But to compare the U.S. and it’s social programs to Chavez’s extreme social agenda is ludicrous.
The problems with PRico is it’s unwillingness to cut back on granting these entitlements to so many who do not qualify and force the government to push harder to provide a more business friendly environment. Most everyone here just seems so satisfy with their leisurely lot in life.
And my last post was addressing the issues in PRico.
No I basically ruled out the PPD and the PNP since they have shared the power in the last 44 years and are responsible for the mess we live today.
The people in P.R. who think the statehood is our solution have a thing coming their way.
P.R. is a poor country and becoming poorer thanks to the lack of political power that we have. If P.R. was to become a state it would be the poorer in the union.Mississippi entered the union in 1883 and today still is the poorer state.
How is the statehood going to atract jobs to P.R.?
And so you listed all of the “cons” for becoming a state. Now lay out a realistic economic plan for Puerto Rico if it were to become an independent sovereign nation. And please, no pride and bravado, can do statements. Be specific regarding your ideas for a realistic prosperous Puerto Rico. Ask yourself, what does Puerto Rico have that Mississippi does not? And again, please don’t say it’s people because Mississippi has some pretty exceptional people as well. 4.5 million peoples lives are at stake here so please be careful what you wish for.
Now it is time for you to list the reality of statehood.Tell us where the millions of dollars that the NPP is saying we will get are coming from.
Tell us about the reality of becoming “Americans” since that is what we will be.
I lived in Texas for 27 years and never heard a person say he or she was a Texan,”I am an american” was what he or she would say.Also if you speak another language you would be told “This is America speaks English”
On the economic side tell us how our state government could atract economic activities that could radically improve our economy.
PS: I did not follow on Mississippi.
“Mississippi entered the union in 1883 and today still is the poorer state.”
Jose B. Torres
You say PRico would be poorer than the poorest state, Mississippi, if it became a state. I’m just asking what your plan would be for PRico to make it richer than Mississippi if it became an independent sovereign nation?
Personally I do not care which way PRico goes, statehood or otherwise. I just want to hear someone who is pushing for Independence to offer up an economic plan that would make PRico a more prosperous nation than the poor state of Mississippi. I think it is a given what PRico will look like as a state, which is pretty much what it looks like right now. Poor.
So what would an Independent sovereign PRico look like, but more importantly, how will it achieve a more prosperous economy than Mississippi when so many other countries are failing economically even when they have ready access to more resources than PRico? What exactly would make PRico different than any other country? And like I asked, please do not say it’s people because Mississippi has great people too, yet they are struggling even with the amount of resources they have at hand.
I’m guessing you are back in PRico. So let me ask you, do you expect English speaking people to speak Spanish? I can tell you most people here do expect that. But guess what, it is a Spanish speaking country so I don’t let it bother me. And if you are living in an English speaking country you shouldn’t let it bother you when someone says speak English. After all it is America’s primary language just like Spanish is PRico’s primary language.
As for the promises of more money from the US if PRico became a state…their lying. The US is broke and can barely afford to pay for it’s own federal government entitlement spending without printing or borrowing money from other countries. So if PRico votes to become a state, don’t do it for the money because it won’t be there.
Yes I am back in P.R. You and I have a lot in common in our believes. I agree with you in most of what you expressed.
I feel that with the right people in charge P.R. could make progress . How? As an independent country it would not be obligated to deal exclusively with the U.S. like it is now.
Countries like Japan,Germany, G.B.and others could bring their business here as well as the U.S.A. just like happens in Singapur.
P.R. has had a project to creat a super port in Ponce since Cordero was mayor and nothing has happened because P.R. does not have the freedom to allow ships from other countries to come in(only american ships are allowed). This also increases the cost a lot.
P.R. also could get taxes from foreign factories that now are doing business here without paying taxes.