Jesús Manuel Ortiz González (born April 23, 1978) is a Puerto Rican politician serving as a member at-large of the

House of Representatives of Puerto Rico The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico () is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

since 2017. He has served as the president of the Popular Democratic Party since 2023.

Life

Ortiz was born on April 23, 1978. He graduated from Escuela Superior Maestro Ladí in Vega Alta. In 2002, he earned a bachelor's degree,

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

, in communications from the

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has ...

. Ortiz was a journalist, reporter, and editor at

WKAQ (AM) WKAQ (580 Hertz, kHz) is a commercial AM radio, AM radio station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Currently owned by WAPA Media Group, the station airs a Spanish language talk radio format. Its programming is repeated on WUKQ, which broadcasts on 142 ...

. He later worked as a producer for ''Radio Reloj Investiga'', ''Ojeda Sin Límite'', and ''A Palo Limpio''. In 2005, he became a press secretary in the Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs. He directed the public communication strategy for

secretaries A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, Personal assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project manageme ...

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 lan ...

and Víctor Suárez Meléndez. From 2009 to 2012, Ortiz served as the communications advisor for senator García Padilla and later as campaign press secretary during the 2012 Puerto Rican general election. From 2013 to 2016, he was press secretary to governor García Padilla and concurrently served as the secretary of public affairs from 2015 to 2016. He graduated with a J.D. the

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Faculty of Law () is the school of law of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, a private co-educational corporation accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Commissi ...

in 2016. A member of the Popular Democratic Party, Ortiz was elected during the 2016 Puerto Rican general election as a member at-large of the

. In May 2023, he was elected as president of the Popular Democratic Party, succeeding José Luis Dalmau. In November 2023, Ortiz announced his candidacy in the 2024 gubernatorial election.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Jesus Manuel 1978 births Living people Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni People from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico Presidents of the Popular Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico