Puerto Ricans have overwhelmingly voted in local elections three times in the past 10 years in favor of statehood, and will likely choose that option once again when the vote is authorized by Congress, Delegate Roberto Lefranc Fortuño, a member of Puerto Rico's shadow delegation to the U.S. House tasked with advocating for statehood for the territory, said on Newsmax Friday.
And that, Fortuño told Newsmax's "National Report," could allow a "huge opportunity for Republicans, as many Latino and Hispanic voters have shown in recent elections, are leaning conservative.
"If Puerto Rico were to become a state today we would still have Mitch McConnell as the leader in the Senate, and we would have a bigger margin in the U.S. House, so that's how important this bill is, and that's how important it is for Puerto Rico become a state," said Fortuño. "It's not American to have a colony in the 21st century."
His comments come after members of the House voted Thursday on a measure allowing Puerto Rico to hold its first binding resolution on becoming a state or gaining another means of independence. If the Senate agrees to the proposal, Congress will be committed to accepting Puerto Rico as the 51st state, if the island's voters choose statehood.
However, Puerto Rico's current status as a U.S. commonwealth is not included as an option in the legislation.
Shadow delegates like Fortuño are not able to vote on House legislation, according to Ballotpedia.
Fortuño added that the bill sets a timeline and consequences for a vote for statehood, and addresses other concerns such as debt, which was brought up by Republicans.
"It specifically says that Puerto Rico will continue to pay its own debt, and this would not become a burden to the U.S.," said Fortuño.
The proposal has become a priority for outgoing House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Fortuño told Newsmax that the bill passed by the House was a compromise between two bills that were already proposed.
"Steny Hoyer was the person who put everything together and made sure that the House brought it to the floor for a final vote," said Fortuño.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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