The 2012 Puerto Rican general elections were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the officials of the Puerto Rican government that would serve for the next four years, most notably the

Governor of Puerto Rico The governor of Puerto Rico ( es, gobernador de Puerto Rico) is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and commander-in-chief of the Puerto Rico National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce local laws, to co ...

. A status referendum was held on the same date. The election was won by then-Senator

Alejandro García Padilla Alejandro Javier García Padilla (; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017. Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political la ...

(from the Popular Democratic Party), who defeated incumbent Governor

Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, from 2009 to 2013. Fortuño served as the first secretary of econom ...

(from the New Progressive Party) in a close election. This election marked the second time in more than 40 years that six parties participated in the election, the first time in more than 60 years that a status

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

was held on the same day as the general election, and the first time in Puerto Rico that

absentee ballot An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Methods include voting at a different location, postal voting, proxy voting and online vo ...

s were issued for those who were out of the country on the day of the election. , this was the most recent time a member of the Popular Democratic Party won the governorship of Puerto Rico, and the last time a Republican did so.

Nominations

Before the election year, the

Constitution of Puerto Rico The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, Constitución del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is the controlling government document of Puerto Rico. It is composed of nine articles detailing the structure of the government ...

provides for any qualified person to present their candidacy for a specific position. If two or more candidates from the same party present their candidacy for the same position, and they can't reach an agreement within the party, a

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

is held. This election is held within the inscribed members of each party, to select which of the candidates will represent the party in the general election. Both of the main parties: New Progressive Party (PNP) and Popular Democratic Party (PPD), held primaries for several positions on March 18, 2012.

New Progressive Party (PNP)

The primaries were held on March 18, 2012 to determine several candidates for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, and others.

Popular Democratic Party (PPD)

The primaries were held on March 18, 2012 to determine several candidates for the

, and others.

Final candidates

Governor

The incumbent

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, from the New Progressive Party (PNP), faces the following candidates for the Governorship: *

Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Those who follow the PIP ...

(PIP) * Rogelio Figueroa, Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPR) * Arturo Hernández, Movimiento Union Soberanista (MUS) *

Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl Rafael Bernabe Riefkohl (born 1959) is a Puerto Rican historian, sociologist, professor and politician. He is currently an elected member of the Puerto Rico Senate representing the Citizen’s Victory Movement. He was the candidate for governor f ...

Working People's Party of Puerto Rico The Working People's Party ( es, Partido del Pueblo Trabajador or PPT) was a Puerto Rican political party. It was founded on December 5, 2010, in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, by a group of activists, students, teachers, professors, union ...

(PPT)

Resident Commissioner

The incumbent

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico The resident commissioner of Puerto Rico () is a non-voting member of the United States House of Representatives elected by the voters of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico every four years, the only member of the House of Representatives ...

Pedro Pierluisi Pedro Rafael Pierluisi Urrutia (born April 26, 1959) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer currently serving as governor of Puerto Rico. He has previously served as Secretary of Justice, Resident Commissioner, acting Secretary of State, i ...

, from the New Progressive Party (PNP), faces the following candidates for the position: * Rafael Cox Alomar, Popular Democratic Party (PPD) * Juan Mercado Nieves,

(PIP) * Sadiasept Guillont Juarbe, Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party (PPR) * María de Lourdes Guzmán, Movimiento Union Soberanista (MUS) * Félix Córdova Iturregui,

(PPT)

Senate of Puerto Rico

At-large

The ballot featured seventeen (17) candidates from six different parties and one independent candidate (bold denotes incumbent candidates) ;New Progressive Party (PNP) *

Lucy Arce Luz Z. "Lucy" Arce Ferrer is a Puerto Rican politician. She is currently serving as a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 1996. Early years and studies Lucy Arce was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She completed her bachelor's degree ...

Margarita Nolasco Margarita Nolasco Santiago is a Puerto Rican politician, senator, and former Mayor of Coamo. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2004. Early years and studies Margarita Nolasco obtained her bachelor's degree from the Pont ...

* Itzamar Peña *

Thomas Rivera Schatz Thomas Rivera Schatz (born June 10, 1966) is a Puerto Rican politician, legal advisor, attorney, and former prosecutor, who was the fourteenth and sixteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with New Progressive Party o ...

* Melinda Romero *

Larry Seilhamer Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boon ...

;Popular Democratic Party (PPD) *

Eduardo Bhatia Eduardo Bhatia Gautier (born May 16, 1964) is a Puerto Rican attorney and politician. Bhatia is a former 15th President of the Senate of Puerto Rico and executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration. Early life and educa ...

Antonio Fas Alzamora Antonio "Tony" J. Fas Alzamora (born November 16, 1948) is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. As of 31 December 2011, he was the longest-serving legislator in the history of Puerto Rico, having served in ten Legislative Assemblies, one Ho ...

* Rossana López León * Angel Rosa *

Cirilo Tirado Rivera Cirilo Tirado Rivera (born June 14, 1964 in Patillas, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician and senator. He has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2000. Early years and studies Cirilo Tirado was born on June 14, 1964 in Patill ...

Aníbal José Torres Aníbal José "Jossie" Torres is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Torres has served in several positions of leadership within his party. He served as Secretary of the party during the 2000 ...

;Other parties *

María de Lourdes Santiago Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

(PIP) * Carmen M. Sánchez Betancourt (PPR) * José "Che" Paraliticci (MUS) * Ineabelle Colón (PPT) * Herminio Pagán Calderín (Independent)

District

;

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

* Angel "Luigi" Alicea (PIP) * Isabel Borras Marín (MUS) * José "Pepe" Córdova (PPT) * Liza Fernández (PNP) * Héctor González Pereira (PIP) * Fred Guillont Juarbe (PPR) *

Zoé Laboy Zoé Laboy Alvarado (born September 17, 1964) is an American attorney and public servant. Laboy served as Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from 1997 to 2000. in 2016 she was elected to become a senator with the Ne ...

(PNP) * José Nadal Power (PPD) * Ramón Luis Nieves (PPD) ; Bayamón * Ruth E. Arroyo Muñoz (PPT) * Víctor Caraballo (PIP) * Miguel Reyes Dávila (PPD) * José Orlando Muñoz (PPD) *

Migdalia Padilla Migdalia Padilla Alvelo is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2000. Early years and studies Migdalia Padilla was born in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico. Her parents are Monserrate Alvelo a ...

(PNP) *

Carmelo Ríos Santiago Carmelo Javier Ríos Santiago (born May 21, 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer and senator. He has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2005. Early years and studies Carmelo Ríos was born on May 2 ...

(PNP) * José A. Ojeda Santos (PIP) * Carlos Alberto Velázquez (MUS) ;

Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...

* Wanda Arroyo (PPD) * Jaime Bonel González (PIP) * Rafael Capella Angueira (MUS) * Luis Cruz (PIP) * Angel "Chayanne" Martínez (PNP) * José "Joito" Pérez (PNP) * Rubén Soto (PPD) ; Mayagüez-Aguadilla *

María Teresa González María Teresa González is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). González was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Professional career and public service González has worked as an administrative judge f ...

(PPD) * Alberto O. Lozada Colón (MUS) * Edwin Morales Pérez (PPT) *

Luis Daniel Muñíz Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

(PNP) *

Gilberto Rodríguez Gilberto Rodríguez (born March 14, 1975) is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Rodríguez was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Early years and studies Gilberto Rodríguez was born in Mayagüez o ...

(PPD) * Orlando Ruiz Pesante (PIP) * Samuel Soto Bosques (PIP) * Evelyn Vázquez (PNP) ; Ponce *

Luis Berdiel Luis A. Berdiel Rivera (born October 8, 1962 in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician and was member of the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2009. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (PNP) and had also served as ...

(PNP) * Javier Maldonado Mercado (PIP) * Luis Enrique Martínez (PIP) *

Ramón Ruiz Ramón Ruiz Nieves is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Ruiz was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Ruiz was elected once again in the election in 2020 as District Senator. Ruiz was born in Arecibo. ...

(PPD) *

Martín Vargas Morales Martín Vargas Morales (born December 12, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Vargas served as Mayor of Guánica for three consecutive terms (2000-2012). He was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in ...

(PPD) * Eliezer Velázquez (PNP) ;

Guayama Guayama (, ), officially the Autonomous Municipality of Guayama ( es, Municipio Autónomo de Guayama) is a city and municipality on the Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 36,614. It is the ce ...

* Roberto Colón Ocasio (MUS) * José Enrique Laboy Gómez (PIP) * Benjamín "Bengie" León (Independent) * Miguel Pereira (PPD) * Edny Ramírez Pagán (PIP) * Angel Rodríguez Otero (PPD) * Miguel Rodríguez (PNP) * Carlos Javier Torres (PNP) ;

Humacao Humacao () is a city and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 12 barrios and Humacao Pueblo (the ...

* Maritza Algarín Sepúlveda (PIP) * Vilma Calderón Jiménez (MUS) *

José Luis Dalmau José Luis Dalmau Santiago (born September 19, 1966) is an attorney and politician. He is the current President of the Senate of Puerto Rico and President of the Popular Democratic Party. Early years and studies José Luis Dalmau Santiago was ...

(PPD) *

José Ramón Díaz José Ramón Díaz Hernández (born January 6, 1973) is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. Díaz has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2008. Early years and studies José Ramón Díaz Hernández was born on January 6, 1973 in ...

(PNP) * José Luis "Tito" Dones (PPR) * Juan "Cholo" Lebrón (PIP) * Carlos Mercado Cotto (PPT) * Luz M. Santiago González (PNP) *

Jorge Suárez Cáceres Jorge Suárez Cáceres (born August 24, 1976, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician and senator. He has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2006. Early years and studies Jorge Suárez Cáceres was born on August 24 ...

(PPD) ; Carolina * Pedro José "Pepe" Alvarez (PIP) * Fabiola Carrasquillo (PPR) * Edwin M. González (PPR) *

Roger Iglesias Roger J. Iglesias Suárez (born September 12, 1958, in Canóvanas, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician. He was a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1992 to 2000 and 2011 to 2013. In 2011, he was elected to fill the vacant seat left b ...

(PNP) *

Luis Daniel Rivera Luis Daniel Rivera Filomeno is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Rivera was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012. Rivera was born in Carolina. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. Rivera h ...

(PPD) * Dwight E. Rodríguez Orta (PIP) * Pedro A. Rodríguez (PPD) * Guillermo Sosa Rodríguez (MUS) *

Lornna Soto Lornna J. Soto Villanueva (born May 27, 1970) is a Puerto Rican politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP). She is the current mayor of Canóvanas, succeeding her father, José "Chemo" Soto in 2014. Before being mayor, Soto wa ...

(PNP)

House of Representatives

At-large

The ballot featured sixteen (16) candidates from six different parties and one independent candidate (bold denotes incumbent candidates) ;New Progressive Party (PNP) * José Aponte *

Jennifer González Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and tele ...

* José E. Meléndez Ortíz *

María Milagros Charbonier María Milagros Charbonier Laureano (born November 24, 1963) is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from 2013 to 2020. She was elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives ...

Lourdes Ramos Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châtea ...

José "Pichy" Torres Zamora José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

;Popular Democratic Party (PPD) *

Jaime Perelló Jaime R. Perelló Borrás (born September 14, 1973) is a Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican politician. Perelló is affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico), Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and the Democratic Party (United ...

Luis Vega Ramos Luis Vega Ramos (born June 11, 1970) is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from 2006 to 2021. Early years and studies Luis Vega Ramos was born on June 11, 1970 to Luis Vega López a ...

Charlie Hernández Carlos M. "Charlie" Hernández López (born February 19, 1965) is a Puerto Rican politician affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). He was member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from January, 2001 until December, 2016. F ...

Jorge Colberg Toro Jorge Colberg Toro (born October 7, 1965) is a Puerto Rican politician, a former Member of the House of Representatives and a College Professor. He served as a member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013. He also was Sec ...

* Eduardo Ferrer Ríos *

Brenda López de Arrarás Brenda López de Arrarás (born April 25, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician. She was a member of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Representatives from 2009 until 2021, and is affiliated to the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and served as the party' ...

;Other parties * Dennis Márquez (PIP) * Edwin Meléndez Delgado (PPR) * José "Tato" Rivera Santana (MUS) * Eva L. Ayala (PPT) * Alexander Febus Medina (Independent)

Election results

Governor

The candidate from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD)

narrowly beat the incumbent

, from the New Progressive Party (PNP). The margin of victory was 0.7% (or 11,049 votes) which would make it the second closest election in the island in the last 20 years. The candidates of the minority parties all received less than the required 3% to remain registered. Notably, Rogelio Figueroa (from the PPR) received only 6,508 (0.35%) after receiving 53,693 (2.76%) in the 2008 general elections.

Resident Commissioner

The incumbent

, from the New Progressive Party (PNP) defeated the candidate from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Rafael Cox Alomar. Pierluisi managed to be reelected, despite the fact that his ballot partner, Governor Fortuño, lost against the PPD candidate. This would be the second time in the last 10 years were the Governor and the Resident Commissioner come from different parties. The first one was after the

2004 elections 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

where PPD candidate

Aníbal Acevedo Vilá Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá (born 13 February 1962) is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus ( LL.M. 1987) and a graduate of the University of Pu ...

narrowly won the election, while Fortuño (PNP) was elected Resident Commissioner.

Senate of Puerto Rico

The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) won a majority of seats in the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, contro ...

, with a total of 18 out of 27. The New Progressive Party (PNP) won a total of 8 seats, while the

(PIP) won one seat. The PPD won the majority after two terms of being a minority. The election of a senator from the PIP also comes after one term with no senator seated. The PPD won six of the Puerto Rico Senatorial districts. The PNP won only two districts, despite winning all eight during the previous election.

Puerto Rico House of Representatives

The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) also won a majority of seats in the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico ( es, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral state legislature (United States), territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. ...

, with a total of 28 out of 51. The New Progressive Party (PNP) won a total of 23 seats. The other minority parties won no seats. Like with the Senate, the PPD won the majority after two terms of being a minority.

Mayoral

The Popular Democratic Party (PPD) won a majority of the mayoralty races in the island, with a total of 46 out of 78 municipalities. The New Progressive Party (PNP) won a total of 31. One of the most notable races featured PPD candidate

Carmen Yulín Cruz Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (born February 25, 1963) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as mayor of the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2020. From 2009 through 2013, Cruz served in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico. Ea ...

defeating incumbent

Jorge Santini Jorge Santini Padilla (born March 11, 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who previously served as the mayor of San Juan. State Service In 1975, Santini became a member of the United States Marines Air Cadets Corps. At present, he is Lieuten ...

(PNP) for the mayoralty of the capital city of

after 12 years in the seat.

References

{{Puerto Rican elections

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...