A majority of registered voters in Puerto Rico prefer statehood, according to Pasquines’ October 2026 Elections Territorial Poll. Many of those same voters, however, view Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (PNP, R) unfavorably, including half of those who voted for her in 2024.
Asked for their preferred political status for the islands, 56.0% chose statehood, 20.7% the current territorial status, and 15.3% independence with a free association pact. Another 4.0% chose independence, and 4.0% were undecided. The current-status figure includes one respondent who wrote in the Estado Libre Asociado, the Spanish name for the current status. A separate approval-voting question let respondents approve of more than one option. In it, 61.9% approved of statehood, 36.3% of the current status, 21.3% of free association, and 10.0% of independence.
The results line up with Puerto Rico’s recent votes. Voters in the islands chose statehood in referenda in 2012, 2017, 2020, and 2024. Admission, however, requires an act of Congress, where Republican leaders are opposed. In November 2025, President Donald Trump (R) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) called statehood “highly destructive” and “very damaging” to the United States.
In the poll, 69.4% of Puerto Rico respondents viewed Trump unfavorably, and 65.4% viewed the Republican Party unfavorably. The Democratic Party fared somewhat better, at 38.7% favorable and 51.6% unfavorable.
The governor’s coalition splits
González-Colón was viewed unfavorably by 75.7% of respondents and favorably by 20.6%. Her weakness extends into her own base. Every respondent who voted for her in 2024 prefers statehood, but those voters split evenly on her, 45.0% favorable to 45.0% unfavorable. Among New Progressive Party affiliates, 52.9% viewed her unfavorably.
The poll follows a year of trouble inside her own party. She has feuded publicly with Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz (PNP), who has signaled he wants to head the party’s 2028 ballot. In August, the Oversight Board revoked its approval of a $5.9 billion temporary power contract with Power Expectations. A PNP representative now says he will refer the governor’s energy czar to investigators over it. The Department of Justice is also reviewing contracting at the Department of the Family under Secretary Suzanne Roig Fuertes.
Her party has held up better than she has. The New Progressive Party was viewed favorably by 80.0% of her 2024 voters and by 64.2% of statehood supporters. Overall, it was the least unpopular local party in the poll, at 35.9% favorable and 62.2% unfavorable.
González-Colón has also clashed with the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, which told the government not to implement a 2024 municipal tax law unless the Board confirmed it complied with PROMESA and the certified fiscal plans. The Board was viewed unfavorably by 72.1% of respondents and favorably by 21.9%. It was unpopular among statehood supporters and supporters of the current status alike.
No party escapes
Every local party in the poll was viewed unfavorably by a majority of respondents. The Popular Democratic Party was viewed unfavorably by 69.7%, Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana by 79.8%, the Puerto Rican Independence Party by 84.1%, and Proyecto Dignidad by 84.8%. Even among respondents who voted for the Puerto Rican Independence Party’s candidate for governor in 2024, 42.9% viewed the party favorably.
Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera (PDP, D), the islands’ nonvoting member of the US House, was viewed unfavorably by 60.5% and favorably by 33.6%. Every respondent who voted for the Popular Democratic Party’s candidate for governor in 2024 viewed him favorably.
Asked about party affiliation, 40.2% of respondents said they were affiliated with the New Progressive Party and 30.0% with the Popular Democratic Party. Another 23.8% said they were affiliated with no local party.
Puerto Rico does not hold general elections this year. Its next election is in 2028.
About the poll
The poll was open online from October 15 to October 28, 2026. Respondents came from Pasquines’ opt-in online panel, not a random sample. Puerto Rico’s results reflect 46 registered voters. Each response was weighted by the respondent’s reported vote in the 2024 governor’s race, based on the official results. The weighted sample skewed heavily male, at about nine in ten respondents, and 44.2% were 55 to 64 years old.
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