Pierluisi dismisses the idea that he doesn’t support veterans

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi

By John McPhaul

jpmcphaul@gmail.com

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said Thursday that veterans are not necessarily defenders of statehood, alluding to his primary opponent Jenniffer González Colón’s ballotmate, Elmer Román, and in response to statements suggesting that the governor does not support war veterans.

“That approach is absurd. It has no head or tail. In fact, it even borders on ridiculousness because one thing has absolutely nothing to do with the other,” the governor said in response to questions from the press. “The only point that has come from me, and I reiterate it, is that this candidate, Elmer Román, is not known as a defender of statehood. He has not, as far as is known, done anything concrete in favor of statehood in his personal record. I reiterate, both William Villafañe and Quiquito Meléndez [who also will be vying to become the New Progressive Party (NPP) candidate for resident commissioner next year] both have a track record in defense of statehood, of the equality that we lack as American citizens, which for me is the main criterion for anyone who is the candidate for the resident commissioner under the palm emblem.”

“To go from that to saying that you’re not valuing veterans is absurd and ridiculous,” Pierluisi added. “Because, on the contrary, my track record in favor of veterans is more than proven. The greatest honor a person can receive from Congress is the gold medal for the Borinqueneers, and I don’t have to explain the efforts I’ve made for veterans. Now, not every veteran is a statehooder. Not every veteran knows how to defend statehood at the level expected of a resident commissioner. So, they shouldn’t generalize like that.”

Pierluisi was certified on Thursday as an official candidate for reelection by the State Elections Commission (SEC), making him the first candidate for governor in the 2024 elections to be certified by the SEC. Through his social networks, he thanked all the citizens who endorsed his candidacy.

“Thanks to you, I surpassed 8,000 endorsements in 24 hours and today all endorsements have been certified by the @CEE [the Spanish initials for State Elections Commission],” the governor posted. “Officially I am your candidate for Governor for four more years. Always grateful, you can count on me.”

According to the Electoral Code, the number of endorsements required by law is 8,000. The certification was signed by Giovanni Rodríguez Ramos, director of certifications at the SEC, and NPP Electoral Commissioner Vanessa Santo Domingo.