Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a
Puerto Rican politician who served as the
governor of Puerto Rico
The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
, an
unincorporated territory
Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions and dependent territory, dependent territories overseen by the federal government of the United States. The American territories differ from the U.S. states and Indi ...
of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, from 2009 to 2013.
Fortuño served as the first
secretary of economic development and commerce of Puerto Rico (1994–1997), as the executive director of the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré's administration (1969-1973) to coo ...
(1993–1994), and as the president of the Puerto Rico Hotel Development Corporation during the administration of
Pedro Rosselló. In 2004, Fortuño was elected
resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, defeating Senator
Roberto Prats. As resident commissioner, Fortuño represented Puerto Rico in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from 2005 to 2009; during his tenure, he served as Chair of the
Congressional Hispanic Conference, as a Member of the newly created
United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs and as co-chair of the Friends of Spain Caucus.
Fortuño won the 2008 PNP gubernatorial nomination by a wide margin after defeating former governor and then-senator Pedro Rosselló in the
primaries
Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...
. He then won the general election by a comfortable margin, defeating incumbent governor
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. Fortuño has served as president of the
New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico
The New Progressive Party (, PNP) is a political party in Puerto Rico that advocates for statehood.[Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization in the United States that serves all three branches of state government.
Founded in 1933 by Colorado state senator Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum t ...](_blank)
, and the
Southern Governors Association.
Fortuño sought to be re-elected as governor in the
2012 elections, but was defeated by
Alejandro García Padilla by 0.6%.
Early life and family
Fortuño was born in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
, the son of Luis Fortuño Moscoso, a dentist, and Shirley Burset. He is the eldest of four brothers. Fortuño is of paternal Spanish descent including
Catalan and
Galician, his great-great grandfather Jaime José Fortuño y Ferrús was from
Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...
. Fortuño also has
Corsican lineage from his maternal great-grandfather.
[Maria de Mari Medina](_blank)
(Shows parents birthplace and names) - Puerto Rico, Civil Registration
Education
Fortuño attended
Colegio Marista (Marist School) in
Guaynabo, graduating in 1978. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in diplomacy from the
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
. In 1985, he received his
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from the
University of Virginia School of Law. During this period, Fortuño was an intern at the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
While in college, Luis Fortuño co-founded the
Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA) is a Puerto Rican non-profit student organization dedicated to promoting statehood for Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1979, and remained active for two years, becoming inactive 1981–19 ...
(PRSSA) with
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s N ...
and presided over the organization from 1980 to 1981.
During the 1980 gubernatorial election recount, PRSSA generated more than 1,500 absentee ballots at Fortuño's direction for incumbent Governor
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...
. The generated ballots were an important factor in Romero Barceló's reelection; he won by a slim margin of approximately 3000 votes.
Fortuño was also active in other pro-statehood youth organizations and in the
Republican Party.
Early career
Fortuño entered public service in 1993 at the start of
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Pedro Rosselló's administration. He was first appointed executive director of the
Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (, or simply ''Turismo'') is the government-owned corporation in charge of tourism matters and regulations in Puerto Rico. The company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré's administration (1969-1973) to coo ...
and president of Puerto Rico's Hotel Development Corporation (HDC). In 1994, he became Puerto Rico's first secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce. Fortuño was tasked with the development and implementation of large-scale changes of Puerto Rico's tax, labor, corporate and commercial codes.
Fortuño was named 1996 Man of the Year by
Caribbean Business, 1995 Public Servant of the Year by the Marketing Industry and Distribution of Food and Beverage Products Association of Puerto Rico, 1994 Public Servant of the Year by the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and 1994 Distinguished Executive by the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Ponce and the Southern Region of Puerto Rico. He served on numerous boards of directors, including the
Ana G. Méndez University System and the
Puerto Rico Museum of Art. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the Urban Land Institute. In 1996, he served on the Platform Committee at the
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...
, where he was successful in including the support for self-determination and eventual statehood for Puerto Rico in the party platform. Fortuño resigned his cabinet posts after Rosselló's reelection in 1996 and returned to private law practice.
Fortuño was a partner at the San Juan law firm of Correa, Collazo, Herrero, Jiménez & Fortuño, specializing in corporate finance and real estate law. Prior to joining Correa, Collazo, Herrero, Jiménez & Fortuño, he was a partner at McConnell Valdés LLC.
Resident commissioner of Puerto Rico: 2005-2009
2004 campaign
Fortuño decided to seek the New Progressive Party's nomination for the post of resident commissioner of Puerto Rico late in the primary season. He won the November 2003 primaries with 61.28% of votes and defeated former senator
Miriam Ramirez de Ferrer (4.26% of votes), former Senate President
Charlie Rodriguez (6.29% of votes), and former governor and resident commissioner
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...
(25.78% of votes). After winning the primary, he picked up momentum within the Republican Party ranks in the U.S. when he received the endorsement of
Ed Gillespie, head of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
. Fortuño was the running mate of former governor Rosselló, who returned for a third bid as the PNP's candidate for governor.
In the elections of 2004, Fortuño was victorious (48.5% of votes) over his main rival candidate
Roberto Prats (48% of votes) of the
Popular Democratic Party (PDP). Fortuño's running mate, Pedro Rosselló, lost his bid for the governor's seat to then resident commissioner
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá by less than 4,000 votes. This meant that Fortuño would be the resident commissioner under Governor Acevedo Vilá of the PDP. This was the first time in
Puerto Rican history that the governor of Puerto Rico and the resident commissioner were not from the same political party. Fortuño became the first resident commissioner to caucus with the GOP since Puerto Rico gained commonwealth status; the three previous PNP resident commissioners had originally aligned themselves with the Democrats.
Tenure
Upon the commencement of the 109th Congress, Fortuño was elected by his colleagues to serve as vice-president of the House Republican freshman class. He served as vice-chair of the
Congressional Hispanic Conference during the 109th Congress and as chair during the 110th Congress. Fortuño was co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain, part of the Hispanic Conference Caucus. House Resources Committee Ranking Member
Don Young
Donald Edwin Young (June 9, 1933 – March 18, 2022) was an American politician from Alaska. He is the List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service, longest-serving Republican Party (United States), Republican in House ...
appointed him in January 2007 as the Republican minority's ranking member in the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs for the 110th Congress. Fortuño cosponsored the
Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007, which would give Puerto Ricans the option to become a US state or sovereign state. In October, 2007, Fortuño filed legislation, along with Representative
Dana Rohrabacher
Dana Tyrone Rohrabacher ( ; born June 21, 1947) is an American former politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2019. Representing for the last three terms of his House tenure ...
(R-CA) to assure the continued operation of the
Arecibo Radiotelescope.
Fortuño was re-elected by the
Republican Party of Puerto Rico
The Republican Party of Puerto Rico () is the local affiliate of the national Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Puerto Rico. The affiliation started in 1903. The party does not participate in the November elect ...
's General Assembly to continue serving as National Committeeman, a position he has held since 2001. He won reelection as National Committeeman in the GOP convention held on 20 May 2007 in
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco () is a Yauco barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the Yauco barrio-pueblo, downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco ...
.
In 2007, Fortuño joined Representative
José Serrano (D-NY) and 128 other co-sponsors in filing HR 900, the
Puerto Rico Democracy Act, to establish a self-determination process leading to political status change for Puerto Rico. The bill was amended and approved in a voice vote by the House's Committee on Resources on 23 October, a major victory for Fortuño. However, as other political status bills in the past, the measure never made it to the President for his signature.
Governor of Puerto Rico: 2009-2013
2008 election
A poll taken before Fortuño Burset announced his gubernatorial bid in February 2007 suggests he is the most well-liked public figure in the PNP. The poll, taken by Gaither International at the request of ''
Caribbean Business'' newspaper, indicated that Governor
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Fortuño's likely opponent, would fare badly in the general election. Another poll released in May 2007 and taken by Kaagan Research Associates, Inc. at the request of ''
El Nuevo Día'', a major circulation newspaper, showed Fortuño with a 46% to 25% advantage over incumbent Governor Acevedo Vilá. On 16 May 2007 poll also showed Fortuño winning a primary election against Pedro Rosselló 49% to 37%.
On 19 February 2007, Fortuño announced his candidacy for
Governor of Puerto Rico
The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
for the 2008 general election. He faced former 2004 running mate and former governor
Pedro Juan Rosselló González in an PNP primary on 9 March 2008 which he won by a 60% to 40% margin.
On 18 May 2007 Fortuño announced that former attorney general
Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia would be his running mate and run for Fortuño's current office of
resident commissioner of Puerto Rico. Pierluisi Urrutia was a classmate at Colegio Marista, a fellow member of the
Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association
The Puerto Rico Statehood Students Association (PRSSA) is a Puerto Rican non-profit student organization dedicated to promoting statehood for Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1979, and remained active for two years, becoming inactive 1981–19 ...
and also a fellow cabinet member of Fortuño's during former governor Rosselló's first term from 1993 to 1996.
On 9 March 2008, Fortuño easily defeated Rosselló at the
PNP primaries and became the new president of the PNP and its official candidate for governor.
Fortuño won the candidacy by obtaining nearly 60% of primary votes. Fortuño's running mate and now official candidate for
resident commissioner
Resident commissioner was or is an official title of several different types of commissioners, who were or are representatives of any level of government. Historically, they were appointed by the British Crown in overseas protectorates (such a ...
,
Pedro Pierluisi, also won his primary.
On 4 November 2008, Fortuño became the ninth
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
-elect of Puerto Rico by popular election winning by over 220,000 votes, the largest victory margin in 44 years and giving the New Progressive Party its largest victory in history. Also he became the second governor to get more than a million votes, after
Pedro Rosselló's reelection in 1996. Accompanied with his victory, the party gained control of the legislature by historic margins and the majority of mayoralties, and with it the power to name 3 Supreme Court judges that for the first time in history would give PNP appointees a majority on the
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico () is the highest court of Puerto Rico, having judicial authority to interpret and decide questions of Puerto Rican law. The Court is analogous to one of the state supreme courts of the states of the United State ...
. With this win, Fortuño would have the opportunity to name various fixed-term posts, including the comptroller, the ombudsman and the director of the Government Ethics Office.
Immediately after the 4 November 2008 general election, Governor-Elect Fortuño began the formation of an emerging administration. On 7 November, Fortuño held a caucus of incoming PNP legislators, who chose Thomas Rivera Schatz as the incoming Senate president in an uncontested election and Representative
Jenniffer González as the new House speaker, succeeding the incumbent House speaker, who also competed. On 9 November, he announced the appointment of outgoing Senate president
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s N ...
as the head of the
Incoming Committee on Government Transition. On 11 November, he began announcing the members of his Cabinet and other administration officials, beginning with McClintock's appointment as secretary of state, equivalent to a lieutenant governor.
Inauguration
Fortuño's
oath of office
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...
was administered in the late afternoon of 2 January 2009, at a ceremony attended by five of the U.S. territory's six living governors, Fortuño,
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá,
Sila María Calderón,
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...
and
Rafael Hernández Colón
Rafael Hernández Colón (October 24, 1936 – May 2, 2019) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1977 and 1985 to 1993 for a total of three terms. An experienced politician, Hernández held the ...
. Only former governor Rosselló, who did not publicly endorse him, was absent.
Following tradition, the inaugural event was initially led by the outgoing secretary of state
Fernando Bonilla and then by incoming secretary of state
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s N ...
. Among the thousands of attendees of the event were singer
Marc Anthony
Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer and actor. He is the top selling salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-tim ...
and his then wife, actress and singer
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Janet Creighton and the head of Intergovernmental Affairs for President-elect Barack Obama's transition team,
Nick Rathod. Foreign dignitaries included
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
president
Leonel Fernández and the president of
Dominica
Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...
,
Nicholas Liverpool
Nicholas Joseph Orville Liverpool (9 September 1934 – 1 June 2015) was a politician and jurist from Dominica who served as the sixth List of Presidents of Dominica, President of Dominica from 2 October 2003 to 17 September 2012.
Biography
In ...
. Following his inaugural address, Fortuño walked from the Capitol to
La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza ( English: "the fortress"), also known as the ''Palacio de Santa Catalina'' (Saint Catherine's Palace), is the official residence and workplace of the governor of Puerto Rico. Located in the historic quarter of Old San Juan in the ...
. In the evening, a free concert in
Old San Juan
Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...
and a state dinner hosted by the new Secretary of State were held.
Administration, Cabinet, and Supreme Court appointments
Of these, Secretary of State McClintock, Fortuño's first Attorney General, Sagardía, Police Superintendent
José Figueroa Sancha and Corrections Secretary Molina were the first to have been confirmed and formally sworn in.
At the end of his four-year term, Fortuño had retained 5 of the 14 members of his original constitutional cabinet, the secretaries of state, transportation, economic development and commerce, natural resources, and sports and recreation.
Notable events
Healthcare
Mitt Romney stated that he would repeal what he refers to as "Obamacare," on "my first day if elected president of the United States." Luis Fortuño's position on President Obama's initiative was to side with his Republican counterparts. On 24 February 2010, he stated in an interview with the local press that Obama's proposal would have unfortunate results for Puerto Rico."
A year later, Fortuño joined with other Republican governors, signing a letter that asked for the "full repeal of the Affordable Care Act."
Economic crisis
In a televised speech on 3 March 2009, 60 days after having been sworn in, Governor Fortuño announced his fiscal and economic recovery plan which included reducing the government's annual expenditures by more than $2 billion at the start of the next fiscal year in July 2009. Media speculation estimated that a reduction of such magnitude could require permanently laying off up to 30,000 government workers. On 1 May 2009, a mass of workers marched through the streets of San Juan in response to the governor's plan, protesting the government's preparation for impending layoffs. Most of the frustration of the Puerto Rican constituents was due to the then candidate Luis Fortuno swearing that he would not lay off a single employee yet in his 3 March speech he warned that the $3.2 billion deficit he encountered might require laying off over 20,000-30,000 government employees.
On 15 October 2009, thousands of Puerto Rican workers and supporters gathered for what organizers tried to pass as a "general strike" over government budget cuts. Puerto Rico's unemployment rate exceeded 16.7 percent in June, 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Fortuño administration expected the layoffs to propel that rate to 17.1 percent (the unemployment rate for April 2010 was 17.2).
On 26 August 2010, teachers unions staged one day walkout to protest what they say was Fortuño' plans to privatize employee pensions, a shortage of teachers and the deterioration of the school system. The walkout was the largest labor protest in public schools on the island since a 10-day strike in 2008 as teachers demanded improved wages and working conditions. The University of Puerto Rico's administration under Fortuño attempted to enforce a $800 quota on students which led to the
2010–2011 University of Puerto Rico strikes.
As a result of all the cost-cutting measures taken during his first two years in office, and the approval of Law 154 which imposes a temporary excise tax on overseas sales by major corporation over 6 years in a declining scale beginning at 6% which may be taken by affected corporation as a credit on their federal tax returns, on 31 January 2011, Fortuño signed Law 1 of 2011, the new Internal Revenue Code that provides, retroactive to 1 January 2010, tax relief including a 50% tax cut for individuals and 30% for businesses, beginning with a 7–14% tax cut for individuals and a 7% tax cut for businesses effective during tax year 2010.
Due to cost-containment and revenue generation measures, fiscal year 2009-10 ended with a $2 billion structural deficit, followed by a $1 billion structural deficit in 2010–11, $610 million in fiscal year 2011–12, $332.7 million in 2012–13, with a goal of achieving a structurally balanced budget by 1 July 2013.
Residente comments
On 15 October 2009, Calle 13 won the Premios MTV Latinoamérica for "Best Urban Artist".
Pérez hosted the ceremony, and used this exposure to insult Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño and comment about a civilian general strike that was organized earlier that day, held to protest the firing of more than 25,000 public employees by Fortuño's administration.
Pérez generated much controversy after referring to Fortuño as an "hijo de la gran puta"
The phrase is commonly translated as "son of a bitch"; in Spanish it is an insult to the person itself, equating to "bad person".
Rumored potential candidacy for national office
Governor Fortuño was 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.
George Will
George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is an American libertarian conservative writer and political commentator. He writes columns for ''The Washington Post'' on a regular basis and provides commentary for '' NewsNation''. In 1986, ''The Wall ...
endorsed Fortuño's support for statehood as a national Republican strategy.
On 26 June 2011, he announced in
Bayamón that he would seek a second term as Governor of Puerto Rico. In interviews he said that he would not aspire to a national office in 2012. More recently, Republican consultant
Roger Stone
Roger Jason Stone (born Roger Joseph Stone Jr.; August 27, 1952) is an American Political consulting, political consultant and lobbyist. He is Donald Trump's longest-serving political adviser, best known for the Mueller special counsel investi ...
mentioned Fortuño as a potential vice presidential nominee to win Hispanic American votes in 2012. In 2012, his name has continued resonating for national office.
Fortuño was included in an occasional vice presidential "short list". In August 2012, ''
Politico
''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...
'' reported that Fortuño "is liked and trusted in the
Romney campaign" and "
Commerce
Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...
or
Interior are possibilities" for Fortuño in a potential Romney
cabinet.
Obama names Fortuño to Council of Governors
President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
nominated Governor Fortuño to the Council of Governors, a bipartisan commission aimed at improving coordination of efforts between state and federal agencies to address matters of defense and national security.
Elected to leadership of the Council of State Governments
On 22 May 2010, Governor Fortuño was elected vice president of the
Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization in the United States that serves all three branches of state government.
Founded in 1933 by Colorado state senator Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum t ...
(CSG), the first Puerto Rican to hold a leadership position in that intergovernmental organization since his now–secretary of state,
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth Davison McClintock-Hernández (born January 19, 1957) is a politician who served as the twenty-second Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, one of the four longest serving in that post. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton’s N ...
, served as chairman in 1999. CSG represents the three branches of government of the 55 states and territories of the nation. Several Canadian provinces are international members of the organization, as well. On 22 October 2011 he was chosen president of CSG for 2012.
Center for Best Practices of the National Governors Association
Between 2010 and 2012, Fortuño served on the board of directors of the Center for Best Practices of the National Governors Association.
Chairman of the Southern Governors' Association
On 21 August 2011, Governor Fortuño assumed the chairmanship of the
Southern Governors' Association and unveiled his new initiative, which served 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," focused 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.
Commemoration of Quincentenary of the Governorship of Puerto Rico
In 2010, Fortuño created a Commission for the Celebration of the Quincentenary of the Governorship of Puerto Rico, a celebration that began on 12 October 2010 and will extend to 19 November 2011. As part of the celebration, at the tail-end of a Trade Mission to
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, he led a celebration of the life of Puerto Rico's first governor
Juan Ponce de León
Juan Ponce de León ( – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in ...
in
Santervás de Campos, near
Valladolid
Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
on 21 January 2011. He also spoke that day at the
Universidad de Valladolid.
Constitutional amendments
On 19 August 2012, voters rejected two constitutional amendments proposed by the governor and submitted by two-thirds of the Legislature for a referendum. The first amendment would have reduced the size of the Senate from 27 to 17 members and of the House of Representatives from 51 to 39 members. While the governor's main opponent, PDP gubernatorial candidate, Senator
Alejandro García Padilla supported the amendments, most PDP voters did not follow his lead and contributed to the defeat of both amendments, which was also opposed by the
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party (, 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 ideology are usually called ''independentist ...
and three minor parties.
Post-gubernatorial life

On 9 January 2013, Fortuño presented his resignation to the presidency of the
New Progressive Party, and accepted the party directorate's request that he serve as the acting president until 3 February, when Pierluisi was selected to succeed Fortuño.
Fortuño moved to Washington, D.C., in early 2013. and joined as a partner the
Steptoe & Johnson law firm in its Corporate, Securities & Finance Group and the Government Affairs and Public Policy Group. He is also involved in Steptoe's Latin American practice. In February 2024 he moved to Reed Smith LLP, where he is a partner at the firm's Global Regulatory Enforcement Practice Group.
Fortuno is a frequent speaker in forums related to business and conservative causes.
He supported libertarian candidate
Javier Milei
Javier Gerardo Milei (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as President of Argentina since 2023. Milei also served as a national deputy representing the City of Buenos Aires for the party La Libertad ...
in
2023 Argentine general election
General elections were held in Argentina on 22 October 2023 to elect the President of Argentina, president, Vice President of Argentina, vice president, members of the National Congress of Argentina, National Congress, and the governors of mos ...
.
Orders, awards and recognition
*
Order of Isabel the Catholic, Commander by Number, awarded by
King Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2009.
Ancestry
See also
*
List of Hispanic Americans in the United States Congress
Notes
References
External links
Office of the Governor of Puerto RicoFortuño's MySpace siteBiography by CIDOB Foundation(Spanish)
'' Caribbean Business'' article on Dec. 2006 Caribbean Business/Gaither/WOSO pollGeneral profile 2008*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortuno, Luis
1960 births
20th-century Puerto Rican politicians
21st-century Puerto Rican politicians
Commanders by Number of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Governors of Puerto Rico
Living people
New Progressive Party (Puerto Rico) politicians
Politicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican lawyers
Puerto Rican party leaders
Puerto Rican people of Catalan descent
Puerto Rican people of Corsican descent
Puerto Rican people of Galician descent
Puerto Rican Roman Catholics
Republican National Committee members
Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians
Republican Party governors of Puerto Rico
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Puerto Rico
Resident commissioners of Puerto Rico
Statehood movement in Puerto Rico
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Walsh School of Foreign Service alumni
Members of Congress who became lobbyists
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives