Puerto Ricans voting in Pennsylvania have a strong message: Respect us

On the Thursday before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign released an ad directly targeting Puerto Rican voters. Unlike an earlier video released a day after Trump-supporting comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash,” this new video was a masterclass in how to express the identity and pride of the Boricua tugs at his heartstrings.

The video, titled “Somos más” (we are more), featured a Spanish-speaking narrator in his distinct Puerto Rican accent listing the many reasons why Puerto Rico and its people should never be disrespected. It was a rare moment when Democrats got their message right to Puerto Rican voters and their Latino allies.

Of course, the ad was not aimed at Puerto Ricans living on the island. Because it is a colony, Puerto Rico's 3 million residents cannot vote for president, even if they are American citizens. It's complicated why, with Election Day just days away, the Harris campaign wouldn't have the uncomfortable but necessary conversations about why Puerto Ricans continue to be ignored by both Republicans and Democrats. Colonialism has this effect.

No, this ad was about the nearly 1 million Puerto Ricans who can vote in the swing states where they live. And if there's one truth about the presidential campaign that emerges from Sunday's garbage joke, it's that Puerto Ricans are eager to vote in 2024, and the Harris campaign is doing well to ensure that happens.

They could actually be the next swing state power brokers, especially in states like Pennsylvania, where more than 300,000 voters of Puerto Rican descent are eligible to vote. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by around 81,000 votes. If the last week has significantly reinforced Boricua's desire not to vote for Trump and instead vote for Harris, then the state will remain in the Democratic column.

According to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, Florida's residents of Puerto Rican descent make up 5.7% of the state. Ohio, North Carolina and Wisconsin are at 1%. In Arizona, Puerto Ricans make up 0.9% of the population and in Nevada they make up 0.8%. In these races, where only thousands of votes decide the Electoral College winners, there is a real chance to make a difference for Harris by playing up the events of last week and raising awareness among Puerto Ricans.

Understandably, the Trump campaign is doing everything it can to eliminate this possibility. Biden's response to the “garbage joke” could have given Trump a lifeline; At a rally Tuesday in Allentown, where the population is about 25% Puerto Rican, Trump insisted he will “provide the best future for Puerto Ricans and Hispanic Americans.” At the same event, Zoraida Buxó, a Republican statehood advocate from Puerto Rico and “shadow senator” of the island's current pro-statehood government, publicly supported Trump, saying, “We need this man back in the White House.” We need this man as our commander in chief. He will make us feel safe. And he will protect us.”

But Buxó's Trump support lacks the star power and influence of a number of prominent Puerto Rican celebrities who have publicly expressed support for Harris, from Jennifer Lopez to Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin to Puerto Rican-Dominican reggaeton star Nicky Jam , which in September was all for Trump, but on Wednesday he took it all back.

“Never in my life did I think that just a month later a comedian would come out and criticize my country and speak badly about my country. And for that I withdraw all support for Donald Trump and renounce any political situation. “Puerto Rico must be respected,” Jam posted on social media.

This feeling is strongly reflected on the island itself, where the people of Puerto Rico are fed up with their colonial status, as political anthropologist Yarimar Bonilla explains in her excellent opinion piece for the New York Times, in which she highlights how determined the young Puerto Rican generation is Rico's is to reclaim the future of the island.” Puerto Rico's general election falls on the same day as the United States presidential election this year. If the island elected its first independence advocate, Juan Dalmau, history would be made.

As both election days approach, Puerto Rican voters in swing states can continue to respond to the predictable cycle of political neglect — or use this moment to signal their collective power. The Harris campaign's latest ad is a recognition of her potential, but it's just the beginning. When Puerto Ricans in the diaspora mobilize and vote in record numbers, they are making a statement that they cannot be marginalized. Their message: Respect for Puerto Rico and its people is no longer optional.

Increased Puerto Rican voter turnout in the 2024 U.S. elections could mean something even more significant than keeping Democrats in the White House. Despite the perceived tensions between Boricuas in the diaspora and those living in Puerto Rico, the reality is that Puerto Ricans in the states can use their political power on Election Day to raise awareness of the ongoing injustice on the island caused by years of neglect by federal government disaster relief, incompetent energy companies, a federally appointed financial control board supported by both Democrats and Republicans, and the desire that Boricuas Voices are heard after voting.

Puerto Rican voters can do just that on Election Day.