Jennifer González-Colón has been the governor of Puerto Rico since January 2025. She has been in politics her entire life, holding many roles as a representative and advocate, with the ultimate goal of representing all Puerto Ricans. This is an overview of Gonz ález-Colón’s background, impact, and achievements. It also focuses on providing a better understanding of the relationship between González-Colón’s beliefs and her policies as governor.
González-Colón was born on August 5, 1976, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. González-Colón obtained a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico. She later earned both a law degree and LLM (Latin Legum Magister) from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law.
At the start of her career, González-Colón was the chairwoman of the San Juan New Progressive Party Youth Organization (Partido Nuevo Progresista). In 2002, she won a special election and served in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. She then performed as Speaker of the House for four years and minority leader for another four. González-Colón continued on to represent Puerto Rico in the United States House of Representatives. She served as Resident Commissioner, the only representative of Puerto Rico in Congress. Finally, González-Colón challenged Pedro Pierluisi for the position of Governor of Puerto Rico in 2024. After defeating him in an upset, she assumed office as governor in January 2025.
Jennifer González-Colón’s ideology aligns with the New Progressive Party on a local level. On a national level, she identifies with the Republican Party. González-Colón is committed to a push for statehood. She believes that statehood “means equality, and [she] want[s] [Puerto Ricans] to have that access to opportunities”. She has been described by The Hill in The Hill’s Latina Leaders to Watch as a “small-government, pro-business, conservative.”
As a politician, González-Colón broke precedents surrounding elected officials. She was the first woman to be elected as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico. She is also the youngest member ever elected to the Puerto Rico House of Representatives. Additionally, she is the second woman to be elected as Governor of Puerto Rico and the third to serve.
Furthermore, Hurricanes Irma and Maria left Puerto Rico in a state of tragedy in 2017. González-Colón emphasized the importance of Puerto Rico’s recovery to the United States Congress. As resident commissioner, she arranged for members of Congress to visit Puerto Rico. More than 30 Congress members visited, including Senator Edward J. Markey and Representatives Richard Neal, Michael Capuano, Seth Moulton, Niki Tsongas, Katherine Clark, and Jim McGovern. Her efforts resulted in over $117 billion dollars raised in appropriations. She also contributed to Congress passing legislation ensuring that the rebuilding of the island would meet new standards. González-Colón also helped secure $4.9 billion dollars in appropriations towards the Puerto Rico Medicaid program during her time in Congress.
More recently, as governor, González-Colón appointed a task force to address Puerto Rico’s energy crisis in December 2024She has also been active in nominating officials for government positions. Her nominee for secretary of state was sworn in on June 28, 2025.
After being sworn in as governor of Puerto Rico, González-Colón shared some of her goals. These included finding a permanent solution to Puerto Rico’s power problem. She is specifically working to improve Puerto Rico’s electricity system. González-Colón has been critical of Puerto Rico’s current energy provider, LUMA Energy, and hopes to find an alternative. Furthermore, she aims to improve infrastructure and advocate for statehood.
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