also endorsed by the Governor of Puerto Rico. Didn't see that one coming..
So much for Hillary's "don't worry, I'll win all 55 Puerto Rico delegates" strategy...
The Clintons are cozy with the pro-statehood folks in the PNP (which ironically is also the more conservative of the two major parties). Gov. Acevedo Vilá is the only non-Penepiste to hold major office in Puerto Rico.
Isn't the PNP at least half-affiliated with the Republicans? (I know their delegate to Congress is affiliated with them, so he isn't a superdelegate...)
The PNP has no official affiliation, and its members are free to choose which US party to affiliate with. The party leaders split about 60-40 in favor of the Republicans. The PPD is exclusively affiliated with the Democrats.
In fact, the ideological split within the PNP is what is causing them problems right now. The President of the Puerto Rican Senate is one of the left-wingers, but the right-wing majority within the party tried to get him kicked out, resulting in all sorts of internal squabbling within the PNP and a lot of hurt feelings. (The President of the Senate, Kenneth McClintock, is one of the Clinton allies in Puerto Rico.) Thus, while the PNP controls both houses of the Puerto Rican legislature, it is unlikely to after the 2008 elections.
McClintock et al. essentially guarantee Clinton the PNP left-leaning vote, but Acevedo Vilá probably guarantees Obama the PPD vote, which is larger. OTOH, I can see some pepedistes, especially the independence-leaning ones, being reluctant to even vote in a US caucus.
