But Pierluisi’s path to the governor’s seat is hardly an easy one. He faces serious opposition from some lawmakers, especially in Puerto Rico’s Senate, which could block his confirmation. That would leave the next in line — Wanda Vázquez, secretary of justice — to become governor.
With the vote still uncertain, here is a look at the man who could take charge of the island’s troubled government.
Who is Pedro Pierluisi?
Pierluisi, a 60-year-old lawyer, served as secretary of justice for three years under Rosselló’s father, former Gov. Pedro J. Rosselló. He was elected to represent Puerto Rico in Congress as its nonvoting resident commissioner and served there from 2009 to 2017.
Pierluisi was reelected after his first term even though the governor at the time, Luis G. Fortuño, who was also on the ballot for the New Progressive Party, was not. That popularity made Pierluisi, who comes from a political family, an attractive candidate for governor in 2016.
But he lost the primary that year to the younger Rosselló by about 2 percentage points, or about 10,000 votes. Pierluisi then backed Rosselló, who like him is a Democrat when it comes to national politics, though Puerto Rico’s political parties do not neatly match up with those on the mainland. The New Progressive Party supports statehood for Puerto Rico.
In 1994, while Pierluisi was secretary of justice, his younger brother, José Jaime Pierluisi, a 28-year-old aide to the governor, was fatally shot in a carjacking in San Juan, the capital.
What is Pierluisi’s political standing in Puerto Rico?
Pierluisi is seen as competent and experienced. As resident commissioner, he ensured that Puerto Rico received federal stimulus funds and was covered by the Affordable Care Act. Both were considered important achievements.
But he also faces a serious potential conflict of interest: After leaving office, Pierluisi went to work for O’Neill & Borges, a law firm that does external legal consulting for the federal oversight board appointed by Congress to oversee Puerto Rico’s troubled finances.
Pierluisi took a leave of absence from the firm Tuesday. Yet any connection to the unpopular board — which is led by Pierluisi’s brother-in-law, José B. Carrión III — is problematic in the minds of some lawmakers who will decide whether to confirm him.
In a statement accepting his nomination Wednesday, Pierluisi cast his Washington connections as an advantage.
“It is also crucial to restore the trust of federal authorities and Congress, where I have earned respect,” he said, “and to reestablish a productive relationship with the oversight board, based only on what is good for Puerto Rico and facilitates the end of its mandate.”
Has there been any other controversy?
In 2016, The New York Times found that Pierluisi introduced legislation as resident commissioner that would benefit at least two Wall Street companies that had hired his wife, María Elena Carrión, to advise them. The family’s net worth rose in part thanks to Carrión’s work helping the firms find bargains on distressed financial assets in Puerto Rico.
Both Pierluisi and Carrión, an experienced investment banker, said at the time that nothing he had done was intended to help her financial advisory firm, which she set up 20 days after he was elected in 2008.
Pierluisi and Carrión are now in the process of divorcing, according to the Puerto Rican news media.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.