Pablo Hernández Rivera
Puerto Rican politician (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pablo José Hernández Rivera[1] (born May 11, 1991) is a Puerto Rican politician who is the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico.[2]
May 11, 1991
Pablo Hernández | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| 21st Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Jenniffer González Colón |
| Chair of the Puerto Rico Popular Democratic Party | |
| Assumed office February 2, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Jesús Manuel Ortiz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pablo José Hernández Rivera May 11, 1991 |
| Party | Popular Democratic |
Other political affiliations | Democratic |
| Relatives | Rafael Hernández Colón (grandfather) Lila Mayoral Wirshing (grandmother) Juan Eugenio Hernández Mayoral (uncle) |
| Education | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Early life and education
Pablo José Hernández Rivera is the grandson of the former governor Rafael Hernández Colón and his wife Lila Mayoral Wirshing. He graduated from Academia del Perpetuo Socorro, earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, and obtained a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.[3]
Career
Hernández Rivera was formerly assistant secretary of federal and international affairs for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD).[4] On the federal level, Hernández Rivera caucuses with the Democratic Party.[5][6]
In November 2024, in an opinion piece in The Hill, he announced that for the first time since 2000, Puerto Rican voters had chosen an opponent of Puerto Rican statehood as their delegate to the United States House of Representatives.[7]
In January 2025, Hernández Rivera announced his candidacy for the presidency of the PPD following the resignation of Jesús Manuel Ortiz.[8]
On February 2, 2025, he took office as president of the party, and announced his intention to refound the group, defining it as "realistic, autonomist, and centrist".[9]
He has advocated for redefining the country's status as a "commonwealth" for greater self-governance, federal parity, and a more clear division of powers with the U.S. He agrees with his grandfather, former governor Rafael Hernández Colón, in viewing Puerto Rico as both a homeland and a nation and also rejecting its classification as a colony.[10]
In the wake of Jenniffer González Colón's election to the office of governor, Hernández Rivera said, "Having a Republican governor seriously reduces the possibility that President Trump will attack Puerto Rico."[11]
In May 2025, Hernández Rivera accused pro-statehood Puerto Rican government officials of failing to liaise with him, despite his position as resident commissioner, effectively Puerto Rico's sole federal-level representative.[12]
In June 2025, Hernández Rivera participated in the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, making him the first resident commissioner to attend since Aníbal Acevedo Vilá.[13]
In July 2025, Pablo Hernández Rivera stated that statehood for Puerto Rico was impossible, and that the solution for the territory was to seek greater autonomy to enter into trade and tax agreements with other countries and to maximize the resources. Greater autonomy would provide Puerto Rico more opportunities to invest in economic development.[14]
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popular Democratic | Pablo Hernández Rivera | 530,540 | 43.50% | +11.37% | |
| New Progressive | William Villafañe | 452,615 | 37.11% | −4.03% | |
| Citizens' Victory | Ana Irma Rivera Lassén | 115,710 | 9.49% | −3.16% | |
| Project Dignity | Viviana Ramírez Morales | 60,512 | 4.96% | −2.73% | |
| Independence | Roberto Karlo Velázquez[a] | 60,161 | 4.93% | −1.37% | |
| Total votes | 1,219,538 | 100.00% | |||
| Popular Democratic gain from New Progressive | |||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
