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Jenniffer González-Colón

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In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisGonzálezand the second or maternal family name isColón.
Jenniffer González-Colón
Official portrait, 2016
20thResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
Assumed office
January 3, 2017
Preceded byPedro Pierluisi
Chair of thePuerto Rico Republican Party
In office
November 15, 2015 – May 7, 2021
DeputyAbel Nazario
Preceded byCarlos Méndez
Succeeded byÁngel Cintrón
Minority Leader of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office
January 12, 2013 – January 2, 2017
Preceded byLuis Raúl Torres
Succeeded byTatito Hernández
29thSpeaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
In office
January 2, 2009 – January 2, 2013
Preceded byJosé Aponte Hernández
Succeeded byJaime Perelló
Member of thePuerto Rico House of Representatives
from the at-large district
In office
January 2, 2005 – January 2, 2017
Member of thePuerto Rico House of Representatives
from the4thdistrict
In office
February 28, 2002 – January 2, 2005
Preceded byEdison Misla Aldarondo
Succeeded byLiza Fernández Rodríguez
Personal details
Born
Jenniffer Aydin González Colón

(1976-08-05)August 5, 1976(age 47)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political partyNew Progressive
Other political
affiliations		Republican
Spouse
José Yovin Vargas
​
(m.2022)​
Children2
Education
WebsiteHouse website
Jenniffer González's voice
Jenniffer González speaks against calls forPuerto Rican independenceand in favor ofPuerto Rican statehood
Recorded June 23, 2023

Jenniffer Aydin González Colón(born August 5, 1976) is a Puerto Rican politician who serves as the 20thResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.[1]González has served in leadership positions in theNew Progressive Party of Puerto Rico(PNP) and in theRepublican Party of the United States.These positions included being the chairwoman of thePuerto Rico Republican Party,speakerandminority leaderof theHouse of Representatives of Puerto Rico,and vice-chair of the PNP.[2][3][4][5]González is the youngest person to be Resident Commissioner and the first woman to hold the role.[6]

Early life and education[edit]

González was born inSan Juanto the late Jorge González and Nydia Colón. She graduated from University Gardens High School and then received a bachelor's degree in political science from theUniversity of Puerto Rico'sRío Piedrascampus. During these years she served as the executive director of the Young Republican Federation of Puerto Rico.

She obtained both aJuris Doctorand anLL.M.from theInteramerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law.[7]

Early political career[edit]

Representative[edit]

González was first elected to the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico in aspecial electionheld on February 24, 2002, to fill the vacancy left by former House SpeakerEdison Misla Aldarondo,after his resignation as representative from San Juan's4th District.She was the first female elected representative of San Juan's Fourth District, the youngest member of the 14th Legislative Assembly, and the youngest woman ever to be elected to thePuerto Rico Legislative Assembly.Before being elected as representative, González served as chairwoman of the San JuanNew Progressive PartyYouth Organization and was very active in the pro-statehood student movement while attending college.

González was re-elected in the2004 Puerto Rico general elections,this time as an at-large representative. She served as chairwoman of the House Government Affairs Committee and as ranking member of the Budget, San Juan Development, Women's Affairs, and Internal Affairs Committees, as well as the Joint Commission for the Revision of the Civil Code of Puerto Rico.

Speaker of the House[edit]

González was re-elected to another term in the2008 Puerto Rico general electionsobtaining the most votes from her party, and the second most votes overall.[8]At the age of 32, she was elected House Speaker by members of herNew Progressive Partydelegation during a caucus held on November 7, 2008. González defeated incumbent House SpeakerJosé Aponte Hernándezin his bid for re-election to that post, becoming the youngest person in Puerto Rican history to be elected Speaker of the House, and the third woman to hold that seat.

Chairwoman of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico[edit]

In November 2015, González was unanimously elected as chairwoman of theRepublican Party of Puerto Ricoafter being the party's vice-chair for eight years. She succeededAguadillamayor Carlos Méndez in the position that once was held by former governor DonLuis A. Ferré,founder of the New Progressive Party, andDr. Jose Celso Barbosathe founder of both the Republican Party and the statehood movement in Puerto Rico.[9][10] During the 2020 Republican National Convention, she was unable to travel to the convention venue due to the fact that she was in self-quarantine after having tested positive to thenovel coronavirusor COVID-19. She delegated her role of delegation chair at the 2020 convention in Kevin Romero, who became the youngest delegation chair and roll call participant in 2020. In September 2023, Jennifer González announced that she would run in the 2024 primary for the Puerto Rico gubernatorial elections.

House Minority Leader[edit]

In2012,González was again re-elected, this time gathering the most votes overall, despite the fact that her party lost the majority of seats.[11]The same night of the election, she was selected to become minority leader of her party.[12]

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico[edit]

Elections[edit]

2016[edit]

See also:2016 United States House of Representatives election in Puerto Rico

On September 14, 2015, González announced her candidacy to succeedPedro PierluisiasResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.Six days later, one of Pierluisi's rivals forthe gubernatorial nomination,Ricardo Rosselló,agreed with her to become running mates for the June 5, 2016, primary and the November 8, 2016, general election. During the ten months the primary race lasted, various public opinion polls consistently showed González to have over 70% approval ratings of the electorate, making her the most popular politician of any political party on the island.[citation needed]

On June 5, 2016, González won the NPP primary by a landslide margin of 70.54% of the vote[13]over her opponentCarlos Pesquera.She thus became the first woman in the history of theNew Progressive Partyto be nominated to the Resident Commissioner seat in Congress.

On November 8, 2016, González was electedResident Commissioner of Puerto Rico,with 48.77% of the vote, over her main opponent, the lateHéctor Ferrerof thePopular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico,[14]becoming the first woman and youngest person to represent Puerto Rico in theU.S. Congresssince the creation of theResident Commissioner of Puerto Ricoseat 116 years prior in 1900.

So far in her time in Congress, González has focused on sponsoring or cosponsoring bills related to veterans affairs, health relief and tax relief for Puerto Rico.[15][16]Congresswoman González is a member of the Republican Conference House Policy Committee. She is also a member of the House Committees onNatural Resources,Veterans’ Affairs,andSmall Business,vice chair of theSubcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs,member ofSubcommittee on Oversight and Investigationsand co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus.[17]

During her first two years in Congress, Rep. González-Colón spent a great deal of time and effort on efforts related to hurricane recovery after HurricanesIrmaandMaría.This included participating in multiple House and Senate trips to Puerto Rico and joining the president onAir Force Oneduring his 2017 official visit to view the hurricanes' damage to Puerto Rico.

For the 116th Congress, González has served in theCommittee on Transportation and Infrastructureand the Committee on Natural Resources.[18]Since 2019, she has continued focusing on disaster recovery issues. Her focus on disaster recovery for the island first began after hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, but continued through 2020, after an earthquake on January 7, 2020, struck and caused significant damage to the south and southeastern regions of Puerto Rico.

2016 Resident Commissioner to the United States House of Representatives election[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
New Progressive Jenniffer González 718,591 48.80
Popular Democratic Héctor Ferrer 695,073 47.21
Independence Hugo Rodríguez 39,704 2.70
Worker's People Party of Puerto Rico Mariana Nogales Molinelli 19,033 1.29
Total votes 1,472,401 100
New Progressivehold

2020[edit]

See also:2020 United States House of Representatives election in Puerto Rico
2020 Resident Commissioner to the United States House of Representatives election[20]
Party Candidate Votes %
New Progressive Jenniffer González 512,697 41.14
Popular Democratic Aníbal Acevedo Vilá 400,412 32.13
Citizens' Victory Zayira Jordán Conde 157,679 12.65
Project Dignity Ada Norah Henriquez 95,873 7.69
Independence Luis Roberto Piñero 78,503 6.30
Write-in 928 0.07
Total votes 1,246,092 100
New Progressivehold

Committee assignments[edit]

Caucus memberships[edit]

Political positions[edit]

InThe Hill's articleThe Hill's Latina Leaders to Watch,Resident Commissioner González is described as apro-statehood,small government,pro-businessconservative.[28]In the first session of the115th United States Congress,González was ranked the 19th most bipartisan member of theHouseby the Bipartisan Index, a metric published byThe Lugar CenterandGeorgetown'sMcCourt School of Public Policyto assesscongressionalbipartisanship.[29]

In 2019, González was one of three House Republicans, along withBrian FitzpatrickandJohn Katko,to co-sponsor theEquality Act,which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.[30]Although González could not vote for final passage of the bill due toU.S. Houserules, the legislation passed theUnited States House of Representativesduring the116th Congress.[31]

After the2021 United States Capitol attackthe commissioner condemned the violence and blamed President Donald Trump for inciting the riot.[32]However, the commissioner still supported the majority of Republicans in their effort to removeLiz Cheneyfrom her position as chair ofHouse Republican Conference.[33]

Personal life[edit]

On August 24, 2020, during theongoing global pandemic,González announced that she had tested positive forCOVID-19.[34]

In 2022, González announced she was dating then medical student José Yovin Vargas, who she had met the year before during a holiday inLa Parguera,inLajas, Puerto Rico.[35]Vargas, is originally fromAguadilla, Puerto Rico.The couple married on August 6, 2022, at the Parroquia Santa Teresita inSanturce, Puerto Rico.The ceremony was attended by numerous political figures like GovernorPedro Pierluisi,as well as former GovernorSila Calderón.[36][37]On February 16, 2024, González gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.[38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Laura N. Pérez Sánchez (2016-11-09)."Jenniffer González Makes History | El Nuevo Día".Elnuevodia.com.Retrieved2017-01-06.
  2. ^"Jenniffer González exige entrega de documentos fiscales".El Nuevo Día.2015-08-17.Retrieved2015-09-18.
  3. ^"ADENDI".Elnuevodia.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-05-14.Retrieved2010-11-13.
  4. ^"ADENDI".El Nuevo Día.Archived fromthe originalon 2014-02-26.Retrieved2010-11-13.
  5. ^"Sólida la dupla de Rosselló y González en el PNP".El Nuevo Día.2015-09-18.Retrieved2015-09-18.
  6. ^"Jenniffer Gonzalez, Resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico 51st".30 November 2016.Retrieved5 October2017.
  7. ^"Biografía – Hon. Jenniffer A. González Colón"(in Spanish).House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.Retrieved2015-12-23.
  8. ^"Elecciones Generales 2008".CEEPUR. 2009-06-15.Retrieved2015-09-18.
  9. ^"Republicanos escogen a Jenniffer Gónzalez como presidenta".El Nuevo Día(in Spanish). 1 November 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2016.Retrieved15 November2016.
  10. ^Hon. Jenniffer A. González Colón Portavoz Minoría (2016-11-15)."Biografía – Hon. Jenniffer A. González Colón".Archivedfrom the original on 2016-11-15.Retrieved2019-08-01.
  11. ^"CEE Event".CEEPUR. 2012-12-29. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-08-04.Retrieved2015-09-18.
  12. ^"Jenniffer González será la portavoz del PNP en la Cámara".El Nuevo Día.2012-11-08.Retrieved2015-09-18.
  13. ^"CEE Event".Primarias2016.ceepur.org.Retrieved2017-01-06.
  14. ^"CEE Event".Elecciones2016.ceepur.org.Retrieved2017-01-06.
  15. ^"Representative Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon".Congress.gov.Retrieved2017-04-30.
  16. ^"Jenniffer González repasa sus primeros 100 días en Washington D.C."13 April 2017.Retrieved5 October2017.
  17. ^"House of Congress".26 January 2017. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-09-27.Retrieved2017-04-30.
  18. ^"Puerto Rico resident commissioner appointed to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee".Caribbean Business.January 17, 2019.
  19. ^"Election Statistics: 1920 to Present | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives".
  20. ^"Comisionado Residente Resultados Isla".San Juan, Puerto Rico: Comisión Estatal de Elecciones.RetrievedJanuary 28,2021.
  21. ^"Members".Republican Mains Street Partnership. Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2018.Retrieved4 October2017.
  22. ^"Members".House Baltic Caucus.Retrieved21 February2018.
  23. ^"Members".Congressional Western Caucus.Retrieved27 June2018.
  24. ^"90 Current Climate Solutions Caucus Members".Citizen´s Climate Lobby.Retrieved20 October2018.
  25. ^"Rep. Jenniffer González Colón joins Rep. Barbara Lee to lead Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus".Seattle Gay News.2019-12-13. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-12-16.Retrieved2020-01-17.
  26. ^Kuznicki, Jen (2017-04-25)."Who are the members of the Tuesday Group?".Jen Kuznicki.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-02-25.Retrieved2021-03-01.
  27. ^"Featured Members".Problem Solvers Caucus.Retrieved2021-03-28.
  28. ^"The Hill's Latina Leaders to Watch".thehill.com.15 June 2017.Retrieved2017-06-16.
  29. ^"The Lugar Center – McCourt School Bipartisan Index"(PDF).Washington, D.C.: The Lugar Center. April 24, 2018.RetrievedJuly 9,2018.
  30. ^Cioffi, Chris (17 May 2019)."These 8 Republicans voted for the Equality Act".CQ Roll Call.Fiscal Note.Retrieved19 August2019.
  31. ^Cioffi, Chris (17 May 2019)."These 8 Republicans voted for the Equality Act".CQ Roll Call.Fiscal Note.Retrieved19 August2019.
  32. ^"Jenniffer González condenó la violencia desatada en el Capitolio por los seguidores de Donald Trump"[Jenniffer González condemns the violence unleashed on the Capitol by followers of Donald Trump].El Nuevo Día(in Spanish). 2021-01-06.Retrieved2021-06-13.
  33. ^"Jenniffer González votará en contra de líder republicana crítica de Donald Trump"[Jenniffer González will vote against Republican leader critical of Donald Trump].El Nuevo Día(in Spanish). 2021-05-11.Retrieved2021-06-13.
  34. ^Peterson, Kristina (2020-08-25)."House Lawmaker González Tests Positive for Covid-19".Wall Street Journal.ISSN0099-9660.Retrieved2020-11-17.
  35. ^Escribano, Rosa (August 6, 2022)."¡Se casa Jenniffer González!".Primera Hora.
  36. ^Figueroa, Bárbara (April 4, 2022).""Ya tengo fecha": Jenniffer González ofrece detalles sobre su boda con José Yovin Vargas ".Primera Hora.
  37. ^Escribano, Rosa (August 6, 2022)."Jenniffer González se casa con José Yovin Vargas:" Cuando uno ama y puede ser correspondido, uno se siente invencible "".El Nuevo Día.
  38. ^Dia, El Nuevo (February 16, 2024).""Ya llegaron": Jenniffer González da a luz a sus gemelos ".El Nuevo Día.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
2009–2013 		Succeeded by
House of Representatives of Puerto Rico
Preceded by Member of thePuerto Rico House of Representatives
from the4thdistrict
2002–2005 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives
2013–2017 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chair of thePuerto Rico Republican Party
2015–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Progressivenominee forGovernor of Puerto Rico
2024 		Most recent
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico
2017–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence(ceremonial)
Preceded by United States delegates by seniority
5th 		Succeeded by
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