Puerto Rico’s Primary Results, 6:30 PM

Here are the results so far:

Mitt Romney                         10,398       81.99%

Rick Santorum                         1,119         8.82%

Newt Gingrich                             413         3.26%

Fred Karger                                  239        1.88%

Buddy Roemer                             222        1.75%

Ron Paul                                         148       1.17%

Others                                              143       1.13%

Total: 12,682

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• Coverage On Puerto Rico’s GOP Primary (thepalinexpress.wordpress.com)

Puerto Rico’s Primary Results, 6:00 PM

Primary elections in Puerto Rico-which included local political positions-closed in at 4:00 PM EST. If you don’t want to wait or want to check out the official Electoral Elections Commission, click here. Refresh the page from time to time, but Mitt Romney is in the lead by a long shot.

Here are the results so far:

• Mitt Romney      1,794      85.06%
• Rick Santorum   174           8.25%
• Newt Gingrich    31             1.47%
• Fred Karger        25             1.19%
• Buddy Roemer  22             1.04%
• Ron Paul            20             0.95%
• Others                 43             2.04%

Total: 2,109

CNN is covering the PR primary, and I expect Geraldo to pitch in from FOX News. Stay tuned!

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• Coverage On Puerto Rico’s GOP Primary (thepalinexpress.wordpress.com)
• Why Puerto Rico Matters In The 2012 Elections (thepalinexpress.wordpress.com)

Official Website Of Newt Gingrich’s Campaign In Puerto Rico

For all Newtons, this is the Spanish website:

http://www.newtpresidente.com/.  The goal is to spread Newt Gingrich‘s message on the campaign trail in Puerto Rico.

Use Google Translate or your favorite web translator to get “Newt’s news” as I surf the Net along with you in this very interesting weekend.

Remember, coverage of these primaries will end on Sunday, March 18 so make sure to visit this site, grab some popcorn and turn your news on for a loud, spectacular primary conclusion.

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• Coverage On Puerto Rico’s GOP Primary (thepalinexpress.wordpress.com)

Kathy Lubbers Gingrich In Puerto Rico

(Translation from the official website of Newt Gingrich‘s presidential campaign in Puerto Rico)

Kathy Lubbers Gingrich, Newt’s daughter  is at the forefront of the Newt 2012 campaign. She attended several events in Puerto Rico, including a meeting with Luis Fortuño, Governor of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican newspaper “The Speaker” explains how Kathy Lubbers Gingrich said that Newt is the only candidate that has helped Puerto Rico in their struggle for statehood.

In a jovial tone and inserting a few words in Spanish with English, Kathy Gingrich, daughter of GOP candidate for president of the United States, Newt Gingrich, acknowledged that although “English is the language that unites states, the Constitution of the United States does not need that a state has to have English as an official language”.

“He supports and understands (the use of) both languages,  Spanish here but perhaps in another place, another language. He’s already said that having two languages is great in terms of helping with diplomacy, business and culture,” said the eldest daughter of Republican presidential candidate.

Gingrich, one of the main advisers of the campaign of former Leader of the House during the Bill Clinton administration, apologized for his father’s absence in the island before Sunday’s primary.

However, he acknowledged how important is the Hispanic vote in the U.S. to win in the general election against Democrat Barack Obama.

“Unfortunately, now my father is focusing on Illinois and Louisiana; he’s there right now and my sister was born in Louisiana and earned her graduate studies there. Since I’m from Miami, to come to Puerto Rico is very nice and he thought it would be a good idea for me to represent you on the island,”  said Gingrich during an interview with El Vocero.

Her title job is professional-relations. She recalled his father’s  “defense of Puerto Ricans to decide their own political future.”

“In fact, he is the only person in the race who also helped with the status issue in Puerto Rico. In 1998, when he was ‘Speaker’ he devoted a lot of time to the Young Bill. Unfortunately it did not pass the Senate, but my father has a real commitment to discuss the issue, “he explained.

Over the possibility that Puerto Ricans get the presidential vote on their current territorial status, she admitted that she hasn’t heard his father talk about it, but will seek to send the message about how important is the issue for several sectors on the island.

“I think it is a very important issue and it needs to be discussed,” he said.

Gingrich insisted that his father is the best candidate for the Republican presidential nomination because when he led the Federal Chamber he achieved positive changes in the economy.

“He lowered taxes, lowered spending, balanced the budget, increased employment and reduced unemployment by 4.2 percent. However, (Rick) Santorum spent six years in the top three Republican Senate leaders and could not balance the budget, created a deficit of 1.7 trillion dollars, and then lost the Congress seat. He has no leadership skills.”

She said, “My father is the best candidate to debate with President Barack Obama and win because right now he’s debating with the president on the price of gasoline while the other candidates (Republicans) fight amongst themselves,”.

Why Puerto Rico Matters In The 2012 Elections

Puerto Rico - Color (Photo credit: fortherock)

The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico will have no say in the presidential election come November, and its Sunday primary has been overshadowed by bigger upcoming races in states like Illinois.

Still, frontrunners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum ventured off the mainland this week to woo Puerto Rico voters. In a race in which every delegate counts — and in which a connection with the Latino vote could pay off in the long run — the Puerto Rico primary will matter more than many probably expected it to this year.

Delegates: Puerto Rico will award a total of 23 delegates after Sunday’s primary — 20 at-large delegates will be allocated proportionally while the last three will remain unbound to any candidate, though they can state their candidate preference.

That makes Puerto Rico nearly as delegate-rich as Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands combined. After Romney won 34 delegates delegates in those territories, his campaign noted boasted in a memo that they “helped expand his delegate lead, pushing him closer to the nomination.”

With that in mind, it’s not that surprising that Romney is heading to Puerto Rico on Friday, while his wife Ann joined Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno to meet with Puerto Rican senior citizens earlier in the day.

Newt Gingrich hasn’t traveled to the island himself, but his daughter Kathy Lubbers has spent the past two days there. Meanwhile, Santorum visited Puerto Rico earlier in the week, but the trip may have backfired after he stirred up controversy by asserting that English should be spoken “universally” in Puerto Rico before the territory becomes a state. Santorum said his initial comments were misconstrued, but they nevertheless cost him two important Puerto Rico supporters who found the remarks offensive.

via Why the Puerto Rico GOP primary matters – Political Hotsheet – CBS News.

Republicans Complain Democrats’ Alleged Attempt To Mislead Voters

From El Vocero:

The Republican Party of Puerto Rico blame what they described as false information supplied by the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico, who understands its goal is to confuse the voters.

Ricardo Aponte, executive director of the Republican Party on the Island, said that yesterday at a press conference held by the Democratic Party, Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral said that “only voters registered with the Republican Party of Puerto Rico can exercise their right to vote. The 384,578 Democrats who voted in 2008 will not be able to vote in the Republican primary on Sunday “(sic).

“All eligible voters in Puerto Rico can take part in the Republican primary and join the Republican Party in this polling. There is a prerequisite of membership and to say otherwise is to try to confuse the electorate,” said Aponte.

“The Hernández brothers carry on for weeks with their demagoguery on a radio show at noon launching such falsehoods. They seem so concerned about the Republican primary to resort to using this kind of demagoguery. Now we understand why they were rejected by their own electorate and none of them appear on the ballot in 2012, “said Aponte.

“Both have talked about how the Republican Party is a private club, when in fact the Democrats in Puerto Rico are the ones who meet in dark rooms and move the goal posts. Turns out Juan Eugenio is the Secretary of the Democratic Party; it seems that he was appointed at the last-minute to send the statement,” he said.

“The Republican Party has over 1,400 delegates at the island level, and they have their regular visits and meetings. The real ‘Wine and Cheese Club’ is their game,” said Aponte.