Puerto Ricans voting in Pennsylvania have a strong message: respect us

On the Thursday before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign dropped an ad that appealed directly to Puerto Rican voters. Unlike a previous video released a day after Trump-supporting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash,” this new video was a masterclass in how to tug at the heartstrings of Boricua’s identity and pride.

The video, called “Somos más” (we are more), featured a Spanish-speaking narrator with his very noticeable Puerto Rican accent listing the many reasons why Puerto Rico and its people should never be respected. It was a rare moment when Democrats got their message right for Puerto Rican voters and their Latino allies.

Of course, the ad wasn’t for Puerto Ricans who live on the island. Being a colony means that Puerto Rico’s 3 million inhabitants cannot vote for the president even if they are US citizens. It’s complicated why, and with days until Election Day, the Harris campaign wasn’t having the uncomfortable but necessary conversations about why Puerto Ricans continue to be ignored by both Republicans and Democrats. Colonialism has that effect.

No, this ad was all about nearly 1 million Puerto Ricans who can vote in swing states where they live. And if there’s one presidential campaign truth to come out of Sunday’s trash joke, it’s that Puerto Ricans are fired up to vote in 2024, and the Harris campaign would do well to make sure they do.

They could actually be the next swing state power brokers, especially in states like Pennsylvania where more than 300,000 voters of Puerto Rican descent are eligible to vote. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by about 81,000 votes. If the past week has significantly increased Boricua’s desire not to vote for Trump and to vote for Harris, then the state will remain in the Democratic column.

According to The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter CollegeFlorida residents of Puerto Rican descent represent 5.7% of the state. Ohio, North Carolina and Wisconsin are at 1%. In Arizona, Puerto Ricans account for 0.9% of the state, with Nevada coming in at 0.8%. In these races, where just thousands of votes will decide the Electoral College winners, replay of the events of last week and heightened awareness among Puerto Ricans has a real chance to make a difference for Harris.

Understandably, the Trump campaign is doing everything it can to diffuse this possibility. Biden’s answer to the “garbage shock” could have given Trump a lifeline; at a Tuesday meeting in Allentown where they population is about 25% Puerto Rican, Trump insisted he “will deliver the best future for Puerto Ricans and for Hispanic Americans.” At the same event, Zoraida Buxó, a Republican Puerto Rican pro-state supporter and a “shadow senator” of the island’s current pro-state government, publicly endorsed Trump, saying, “We need this man back in the White House. We need this man to be our commander in chief. He will make us feel safe. And he will protect us.”

But Buxó’s Trump endorsement lacks the star power and influence of a number of prominent Puerto Rican celebrities who have publicly voiced their support for Harris, from Jennifer Lopez to Bad Bunny to Ricky Martin to the Puerto Rican-Dominican reggaeton star Nicky Jam, who in September was all for Trump, but on Wednesday took it all back.

“I never thought in my life that a month later a comedian would appear and criticize my country and speak badly of my country. And for that, I withdraw any support for Donald Trump and I step aside from any kind of political situation. Puerto Rico must be respected,” Jam wrote on social media.

This sentiment is strongly echoed on the island itself, where the people of Puerto Rico are weary of their colonial status, as political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla explains in his excellent New York Times opinionwhere she highlights how Puerto Rico’s younger generation “is determined to reclaim the island’s future.” Puerto Rico’s parliamentary election this year falls on the same day as the US presidential election. History would be made if the island had to choose its first pro-independence governorJuan Dalmau.

As both election days approach, Puerto Rican voters in swing states can remain reactive to the predictable cycle of political neglect — or use this moment to signal their collective power. The Harris campaign’s latest ad is a recognition of their potential, but it’s only the beginning. If Puerto Ricans in the diaspora mobilize and vote in record numbers, they will send a statement that they cannot be marginalized. Their message: Respect for Puerto Rico and its people is no longer optional.

Increased Puerto Rican turnout in the 2024 US election could mean something even more significant than keeping Democrats in the White House. Despite the perceived tension between Boricuas in the diaspora and those living in Puerto Rico, the reality is that Puerto Rican citizens can exercise their political power on Election Day to raise awareness of the ongoing injustice on the island caused by years of neglect from federal government disaster relief, inept power companies, a federally appointed tax audit agency supported by both Democrats and Republicans, and a desire for Boricua’s voices to be heard after the votes are cast.

Puerto Rican voters on Election Day can do just that.