Jenniffer González, Puerto Rico's resident commissioner, to challenge island's governor in primary

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, Jenniffer González, announced Wednesday that she will run for governor of the U.S. territory.

She is expected to face Gov. Pedro Pierluisi next year in what is anticipated to be a heated primary of the pro-statehood Progressive New Party. González previously ran with Pierluisi on the 2020 ticket.

Pierluisi, 64, has said he will seek re-election and is scheduled to make an official announcement on Sunday.

González, 47, said her priorities include strengthening the island’s health system, improving the education sector and ensuring swift reconstruction of the territory’s power grid that was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

González is Puerto Rico’s first female resident commissioner and was first elected in November 2016, succeeding Pierluisi.

González’s announcement comes more than a week after she announced she was pregnant with twins.

The winner of the PNP primary will face leaders of several opposition parties, including the Popular Democratic Party, which supports the island’s current political status, and a possible alliance composed of the Puerto Rico Independence Party and Citizen Victory Movement.