Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorse Alianza’s candidates in historic move for Puerto Rico’s elections

The New York Democratic congresswomen held a press conference in San Juan, where they endorsed Juan Dalmau, the gubernatorial candidate for PIP; and from MVC, Ana Irma Rivera Lassén and Manuel Natal.

Congress members Nydia Velázquez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsed the candidates of Alianza de País, an alliance between the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (MVC) ahead of the general elections on Nov. 5.

The New York Democratic congresswomen held a press conference in San Juan, where they endorsed Juan Dalmau, the gubernatorial candidate for PIP; and from MVC Ana Irma Rivera Lassén as candidate for Commissioner Resident, and Manuel Natal, as a candidate for San Juan mayor. 

“These young people of Puerto Rico need to be assured that they must work hard, but that there is a system that will be with them and will not work against them. And in that sense, in that demand for change, I have decided that the best option for the people of Puerto Rico at this time is to be represented by them,” Velázquez said at a press conference at the restaurant Cocina al Fondo in Santurce.

For Ocasio-Cortez, this is the first time she has endorsed a candidate from the island. The congresswoman said she was motivated to do so after learning about the false narrative that if Dalmau wins, Puerto Rico would lose its current status and federal aid programs, such as Medicare.

“When I see the discourse that is going on in our country, especially regarding the false claims of what is going to happen with the status of the Medicare program, I feel a responsibility as a federal official to tell the truth. When I see people who are using fear and panic over false claims of what is going to happen with our medicines, with our schools, with our children, that is an injustice. The people of Puerto Rico should vote on the facts and the truth,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Both congresswomen said that they see in the Alianza’s candidates an opportunity for change, which Puerto Rico needs after years of corruption, bad economy, and deficient services.

They both also said they are in favor of the removal of the Fiscal Oversight Board, a federal entity  which regulates the island’s finances, and LUMA, a private company that transmits and distributes the electricity on the island.

“The Board is a tool that limits our sovereignty and resources on the island. We must protect our vital resources and stop the structures that benefit corporations over the suffering of our people. The Board should not continue, and we need to remove them,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“We must be serious when we say we are going to remove LUMA. There needs to be a transition and a legal analysis to speak truthfully to the people about whether it can be done or not,” added Velázquez, who also said that “it’s time for the Board to pack its bags and leave.”

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