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Election results map. Blue denotes municipalities won by Fortuño, and Red denotes those won by García Padilla.
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Alejandro García Padilla
Popular Democratic
The Puerto Rico general election of 2012 were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the officials of the Puerto Rican government that would serve for the next four years, most notably the Governor of Puerto Rico. A status referendum was held on the same date.
The election was won by then-Senator Alejandro García Padilla (from the Popular Democratic Party), who defeated incumbent Governor Luis Fortuño (from the New Progressive Party) in a close election.
The 2012 Puerto Rican election was historic because:
Also historically significant was the manner in which Fortuño was defeated. He won in 2008 by nearly 225,000 votes, yet lost in 2012 by nearly 11,000.
Before the election year, the Constitution of Puerto Rico provides for any qualified person to present their candidacy for a specific position. If two or more candidates from the same party present their candidacy for the same position, and they can't reach an agreement within the party, a primary election is held. This election is held within the inscribed members of each party, to select which of the candidates will represent the party in the general election.
Both of the main parties: New Progressive Party (PNP) and Popular Democratic Party (PPD), held primaries for several positions on March 18, 2012.
The primaries were held on March 18, 2012 to determine several candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives, and others.