Jenniffer González Sworn In as Puerto Rico's Governor Following Historic Election

The new pro-statehood leader faces immediate challenges with the island's fragile power grid and economic recovery.

Jenniffer González, a Republican and advocate for Puerto Rican statehood, was inaugurated as governor after winning the November 5 election with 41% of the vote.
Her swearing-in comes days after a major blackout left 1.3 million residents without power, with ongoing outages highlighting the island's unstable electrical grid.
González has pledged to appoint an energy czar to review contracts and explore replacing Luma Energy, the company managing Puerto Rico's power transmission and distribution.
The governor inherits a weak economy with $9 billion in unresolved energy debt and ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane María's devastation in 2017.
A nonbinding referendum during the election showed 59% of voters favoring statehood, which González plans to pursue despite requiring U.S. Congressional approval.