Posted on 01/27/2012 2:34:32 PM PST by cll
Cape Canaveral, Florida (CNN) - Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno has endorsed Mitt Romney, in a boon to the GOP candidate's efforts to woo Florida's Latino voters ahead of Tuesday's primary.
Puerto Rico's top official will campaign with Romney at an event Friday evening in Orlando.
Earlier in the day, Romney said he would support a move by Puerto Rico towards statehood, and referenced Fortuno's "passionate" support for that process.
"I expect the people of Puerto Rico will decide, like he feels, to become a state," Romney told a cheering audience at the Hispanic Leadership Network conference. "I can tell you that I will work with him that if that vote comes out in favor of statehood we will go through the process in Washington to provide statehood to Puerto Rico."
(Excerpt) Read more at politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com ...
Although it may not be fair to place all blame for the problem on Fortuño (the seeds for the problem were planted during the previous PPD (Democrat) administrations), the perception is there that the current government is powerless to deal with the crime wave.
Puerto Rico has repeatedly refused to become a State in the Union. Getting that governor’s endorsement doesn’t mean much, IMO.
I’m very sorry to hear this.
“This can actually work against Romney. Many Florida Puerto Ricans have left the island because of the spike in crime during Governor Fortuño’s current term.”
I have a Puerto Rican email friend who is leaving because of an increasingly welfare minded society and poor job climate.
She is no admirer either.
And why would we want Puerto Rico to become a state and give the Dems 2 more Senators and 1 more member of the House?
Romney keeps showing himself to be a Dem in “progressive Republicans” clothing.
If anybody knows Newt please tell him or his staff to FreepMail me. I can give him some real pointers on Florida Puerto Ricans (and Georgia Puerto Ricans for that matter). He’s going to need that vote.
And before you start on me, as opposed to New York and Chicago Puerto Ricans, Southern Puerto Ricans are conservative and solid Christians.
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It was just last night in the debate that Ricardo was bragging about what good friends he was with the Puerto Rican gov. when they were asked about statehood for Puerto Rico.
It appears they are not as good friends as he thought they were.
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Latin Americans are not necessarilly one big happy family particularly those from Central; America.
Yeah, and Newt had also given Fortuño some national exposure with an interview he did and this is how he gets paid. Fortuño is a RINO. He supported Obama Care.
Agreed. And Puerto Ricans hate being called Latin American, Latinos, browns, or any of that crap. We are either boricuas or Americans.
Freep U M.R.
NO statehood for Puerto Rico!
Puerto Rico? They have a governor?
Good for them and who the hell cares.
Actually, it is, in the words of Joe Biden, a big fing deal. Governor Fortuño has been mentioned more than once as a long-shot potential candidate for nomination for President or Vice President in 2012 and his frequent campaign trips to the mainland during the 2010 congressional races have been linked to potential national aspirations. This guy is well connected and played a significant role in helping Rep candidates during the 2010 midterms.
Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born October 31, 1960) is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP), a member of the Republican National Committee, and will be president of the Council of State Governments during 2012. On June 26, 2011 he announced his plans to run for reelection.
The New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP) (Spanish: Partido Nuevo Progresista de Puerto Rico, PNP) is a political party that advocates for Puerto Rico's admission to the United States of America as the 51st state.
On August 21, 2011, Governor Fortuño assumed the chairmanship of the Southern Governors’ Association and unveiled his new initiative, which will serve as the organization’s policy focus for the year, to create jobs and spur economies in the Southern region by increasing trade, investment and exports with Latin America.
The initiative, titled "Growth Beyond Our Borders," will focus on creating jobs and increasing exports from Southern states and territories by the end of 2012 by enabling private sector businesses and entrepreneurs to tap into dynamic and emerging Latin American markets, which represent 550 million prospective clients.
The association’s membership is composed of the Governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
Good old promise them anything Mitt.
I am surprised he hasn’t promised statehood to DC.
Gee I hope he doesn’t get that idea.
Fortuno may be a U.S. citizen, but that doesn’t mean he is eligible to be President or Vice President.
Look, Puerto Rico is not a state. They have repeatedly refused to join the Union.
The idea that someone from PR or American Samoa would be elected to a national office is nonsense. This has nothing to do with ethnicity or race, just the status of the territory itself not being a state.
At one time there was a move to block Barry Goldwater from running for President because he was born in a territory. That territory later became the State of Arizona.
Fortuno could later run for national office once Puerto Rico becomes a state. Do you know for a fact he was born in Puerto Rico, as were both his parents?
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