Puerto Rico's Super Sunday

The Atlantic

VANN NEWKIRK


Puerto Rico is not a state. It has no electoral college votes for president,
no senators, and no representatives. After the grind of the 2016 primary
season and the fireworks of post-convention campaigning, November
ballots in Puerto Rico will not feature the names of those running for
America’s highest offices. However, as one of the most important finan-
cial and political crises in Puerto Rico’s recent history unfolds, it is still
primed to make a statement in the presidential race.


Like all other inhabited territories of the United States—Guam, the Uni-
ted States Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Sa-
moa—Puerto Rico is part of the primary process for both the Republican
and Democratic parties...[CONTINUE READING]

Why Puerto Rican Statehood Matters So Much Right Now

The Atlantic

GILLIAN B. WHITE 


If Ben Carson becomes president, he plans to add one more star
to the American flag.

During a New Progressive Party rally in Puerto Rico, Carson said,
“Mis hermanos Americanos, my campaign is built around the pre-
mise of ‘We the People,’ and through such lens, I view the state-
hood question in Puerto Rico as settled."

Carson isn’t the first, or only, Republican candidate to support gran-
ting statehood to Puerto Rico. Both Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush have
previously voiced their support, likely in hopes that it will endear them
to the growing numbers of Hispanic voters...[CONTINUE READING]