Puerto Rico resumed its primary elections without significant issues on Sunday, a week after electoral officials suspended the event when precincts across the island did not receive ballots or began the voting process late after a delay in the arrival of voting materials.
Close to 8 p.m., with 71% of precincts reporting, Gov. Wanda Vázquez, of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party (NPP), conceded to primary opponent Pedro Pierluisi, who was leading with 58% of the vote. Pierluisi previously served as Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in Congress and was briefly sworn in as interim governor after the dramatic ousting of former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in 2019.
The island’s Supreme Court later ruled that the swearing in was unconstitutional.
With about 60% of precincts reporting for the pro-territorial-status Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Carlos ‘Charlie’ Delgado was leading with 63% of the votes over Puerto Rico Sen. Eduardo Bhatia and San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, who were trailing Delgado with 23% and 13% of the vote, respectively.