2008 New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico primaries

The 2008 New Progressive Party primaries were the primary elections by which voters of the New Progressive Party (PNP) chose its nominees for various political offices of Puerto Rico, namely the position of governor, for the 2008 general elections. Resident Commissioner Luis Fortuño was selected as the nominee at the primary elections held on March 9, 2008. He would go on to win the 2008 general election as well.

Background
Pedro Rosselló had come from a defeat against Aníbal Acevedo Vilá at the 2004 elections. Despite that, he managed to gain a seat in the Senate. After an unsuccessful power struggle within the Senate to gain the presidency of the body, it was speculated that Rosselló would make another attempt at being elected Governor for the 2008 elections.

The power struggle had caused a division within the party, with the faction that supported Senate President Kenneth McClintock (called the "Auténticos") being expelled from the party during the previous year. Although the Supreme Court allowed them to run in the PNP primaries, Pedro Rosselló, then President of the party, still vouched for a "vote of punishment" against the senators, which he called "traitors".

Governor

 * Luis Fortuño, incumbent Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
 * Pedro Rosselló, incumbent Senator and former Governor of Puerto Rico

Resident Commissioner

 * Pedro Pierluisi, former Secretary of Justice
 * Charlie Rodríguez, former President of the Senate of Puerto Rico
 * Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer, former Senator

At-large

 * Wanda Aponte
 * Lucy Arce
 * Luis Batista Salas
 * Cristóbal Berríos
 * Norma Burgos
 * Luis Oscar Casillas
 * Jorge de Castro Font
 * Manuel de Jesús
 * José Garriga Picó
 * Roger Iglesias
 * Tito Maldonado
 * Roberto Carlos Mejill


 * Henry Neumann
 * Margarita Nolasco
 * Reynaldo Paniagua
 * Itzamar Peña
 * Abid Quiñones
 * Oreste Ramos
 * Santos Ramos Lugo
 * Thomas Rivera Schatz
 * Orlando José Rivera Sepúlveda
 * Luz M. "Tuty" Silva
 * William Villafañe

District
The New Progressive Party held primaries on all 8 of the senatorial districts.

San Juan

 * Roberto Arango
 * Carlos Díaz
 * Omar Miranda Torres
 * Edward Moreno
 * Kimmey Raschke

Bayamón

 * Felix H. Delgado
 * Héctor "Cano" O'Neill
 * Pedro Orraca
 * Migdalia Padilla
 * Carmelo Ríos Santiago
 * Edwin Rivera
 * Noel Toro

Arecibo

 * José Emilio González Velázquez
 * Anthony López
 * Johnny Maldonado
 * Víctor "Buhito" Marrero
 * Angel Martínez Santiago
 * Roger Owens
 * Gabriel Félix Rivera
 * Alexis Valle

Mayagüez-Aguadilla

 * Luis Daniel Muñiz Cortes
 * Michael Nazario
 * Carlos Pagán
 * Jorge Rodríguez Feliciano
 * Evelyn Vázquez

Ponce

 * María Alvarado
 * Luis A. Berdiel Rivera
 * Juan Luis "Cuto" Colón
 * Benny A. Morales
 * Ramoncito Ramos
 * Larry Seilhamer
 * Luinel Torres Acosta

Guayama

 * Osvaldo Colón Reyes
 * Paco Fontánez
 * Miguelito Martínez
 * "Vi" Negrón
 * Osvaldo Ortolaza Figueroa
 * Luisito Pagán
 * Robert Santiago
 * Antonio Soto Díaz
 * Carlos J. Torres Torres

Humacao

 * Juan B.
 * José R. Díaz Hernández
 * Francisco "Paco" Pereira
 * Luz M. Santiago González
 * Rafi Uceta

Carolina

 * Haydee Calderón Muñoz
 * Héctor Martínez Maldonado
 * Rosemary O'Connell
 * Pablo Ramos
 * Lornna Soto
 * Nayda Venegas

At-large

 * José Aponte
 * José Chico
 * Angel Cortés
 * Italo Costa Corsi
 * Rolando Crespo
 * Jenniffer González
 * Jaime Irizarry
 * Julio Lebrón Lamboy


 * Aixa Martinó
 * Nicolás Muñoz
 * Lourdes Ramos
 * Iris Miriam Ruíz
 * Soraya
 * José "Pichy" Torres Zamora
 * Félix Vega Fournier

District
The Popular Democratic Party held primaries on 30 of the 40 representative districts.

District 1

 * Gloria Escudero
 * Mario González La Fuente
 * José "Nuno" López

District 4

 * Liza Fernández
 * Nelson A. Rivera

District 5

 * Luisito Fuentes
 * Jorge Navarro Suárez

District 6

 * Javier Capestany Figueroa
 * Angel Pérez Otero

District 8

 * Toñito Silva
 * Mario Tevenal

District 9

 * Pito Marrero
 * Angel "Gary" Rodríguez
 * Rafy Rodríguez
 * Juan "Papo" Soto

District 10

 * Bernardo Márquez
 * Pedro Julio Santiago
 * Víctor Soto, Jr.

District 11

 * Frank Acha
 * Víctor "Pío" Concepción
 * Miguel Angel Figueroa
 * Jean P. Rubio
 * María Vega Pagán

District 14

 * Charlie Ayala
 * Wilson Pantoja
 * Gustavo Rodríguez
 * Paula Rodríguez Homs
 * Yamill

District 15

 * Arnaldo Jiménez Valle
 * Efraín Concepción
 * Rey Escoriaza
 * Nino Román

District 16

 * Elisa Juarbe Beníquez
 * Iván Rodríguez
 * Miguel Trabal

District 17

 * Rafael Lugo Hernández
 * José L. Rivera Guerra
 * Junior Robledo
 * William

District 18

 * David Bonilla Cortés
 * Angel Muñoz

District 20

 * Norman Ramírez Rivera
 * Lucy Rivera

District 21

 * Noel Morales, Jr.
 * Rey

District 22

 * Héctor Luis "Tito" Camacho
 * Jorge Collazo
 * Waldemar Quiles

District 23

 * Luis Edgardo Díaz
 * Julissa Nolasco
 * Gaddier Oliveras
 * Hernán Santiago

District 24

 * John Giménez
 * Luis "Tato" León

District 26

 * Emilio
 * José Luis Jiménez
 * Freddy Santiago

District 28

 * Carmen Gloria Hernández
 * Rafael Rivera Ortega
 * Jorge Santini

District 31

 * Edgar Acevedo
 * Junior Aponte
 * Roberto López
 * Jorge L. Reyes

District 32

 * José R. Camino
 * Shirley Ann Casillas
 * Magal González

District 33

 * Willy Gómez
 * Angel R. Peña, Jr.
 * Amparo Rodríguez
 * Raúl Rodríguez

District 34

 * Cristóbal Colón
 * Pickie Díaz
 * Lorenzo Valcárcel, Jr.

District 35

 * Julio César
 * Noé Marcano

District 36

 * Johnny Méndez
 * Augusto Sánchez

District 37

 * Angel Bulerín
 * William Cantres Nieves
 * Normis Quintero

District 38

 * Eric Correa
 * Joel Cruz Hiraldo
 * Wilfredo Pérez Torres
 * Raymond Sánchez

District 39

 * Sergio Esteves
 * Esther
 * César Valentín

District 40

 * Elizabeth Casado
 * Francisco, Jr.

Mayors
The New Progressive Party held primaries in 34 of 78 municipalities.

Aguada

 * "Berty" Echevarría
 * Manuel Santiago
 * Lorenzo Vale, Jr.

Aguas Buenas

 * Miguel
 * Edwin Morales
 * Vitín Ramos

Arecibo

 * Carlos Molina
 * Angel "Kuko" Ramos
 * Lemuel Soto

Arroyo

 * Darwin Covas
 * Basilio Figueroa
 * Ramón Morales

Caguas

 * Orlando Rivera
 * Carlos González

Camuy

 * Edwin García Feliciano
 * Johnny

Canóvanas

 * Roberto Cruz
 * Manuel Quiñones
 * José "Chemo" Soto

Cataño

 * Julio Alicea
 * Mayra Ramsamy
 * Wilson Soto
 * Yareco

Cayey

 * Wilson Colón
 * Benjamín González

Ceiba

 * Pedro Colón Osorio
 * Angelo Cruz Ramos

Corozal

 * Roberto Hernández Vélez
 * Norberto Torres

Florida

 * Aaron Pargas Ojeda
 * Víctor M. Rodríguez

Guaynabo

 * Héctor O'Neill
 * Miguel Gutarra

Humacao

 * "Piloto" Santiago
 * Maritza Vargas

Juana Díaz

 * Gardy Guzmán
 * Nilsa Santiago

Juncos

 * Junito Mulero
 * Karen Velázquez

Lajas

 * Leo Cotte
 * Edgardo
 * Johnny Ramos

Lares

 * Roberto Pagán Centeno
 * Eddie Nuñez

Las Piedras

 * Micky López
 * Angel R. Peña

Loíza

 * Luis Ambrosio de Jesús
 * Eddie Manso

Luquillo

 * José "Nelo" González
 * Rafa Pérez

Morovis

 * Norberto Negrón
 * Heriberto Rodríguez

Patillas

 * Benjamín Cintrón Lebrón
 * Maritza Rivera

Ponce

 * Angel Llavona
 * María "Mayita" Meléndez

Quebradillas

 * Moisés Soto
 * Elías Nieves

Rincón

 * María Lourdes Méndez
 * Eddie Ríos

Río Grande

 * César
 * María Milagros Charbonier
 * Javier Sánchez

Sabana Grande

 * Wilfrido Bonilla
 * Santitos Rivera
 * Linnette Toledo

Salinas

 * Ernesto Aponte
 * Jorgito Díaz
 * Carlos Rodríguez Mateo

San Germán

 * Mónica Alpi
 * Luis Cancel
 * Efraín Montalvo
 * Edgardo Suárez

San Sebastián

 * Javier Jiménez
 * Justo Medina

Toa Alta

 * Luis Collazo Rivera
 * Nelson
 * Evelyn Ortega

Trujillo Alto

 * Julio Andino
 * Emmanuel Huertas
 * Eduardo Otero

Utuado

 * Alan González Cancel
 * Jorgito Pérez

Results
The primaries were held on March 9, 2008. In it, Fortuño comfortably defeated Rosselló to win the spot for Governor at the 2008 elections. Also, Pedro Pierluisi defeated Charlie Rodríguez and Miriam Ramírez de Ferrer with 60% of the votes to win the spot for Resident Commissioner.

Members of PPD voting
During and after the primaries, members of the New Progressive Party (PNP), like Senator Norma Burgos, claimed they saw voters affiliated with the opposing Popular Democratic Party (PPD) voting in the PNP ballots. Also, Maritza Vázquez, Electoral Commissioner of PPD representative Conny Varela, admitted in 2010 that "thousands of 'populares' voted on that election'". Some of the supporters of Rosselló maintain that this "crossover" was crucial in Pedro Rosselló's defeat against Luis Fortuño.

Rosselló "Write-In" campaign
As a result of Rosselló's loss in the primaries, a group of his supporters started a campaign to have him elected through "Write-in" voting.

The fate of the "Auténticos"
Despite Rosselló's call for a "vote of punishment" against the "Auténticos", all but one of the eligible candidates from that faction were elected in the primaries. Carlos Díaz was edged out of the election race by Senators Roberto Arango and Kimmey Raschke. Migdalia Padilla, Lucy Arce, and Jorge de Castro Font were all elected. Kenneth McClintock had decided not to run for Senate, while Orlando Parga refused to return to the party after his expulsion, and started an independent campaign.