- Estadistas Unidos
Estadistas Unidos was a non-partisan organization created by don
Luis A. Ferré in January, 1967 after theStatehood Republican Party (SRP), of which he was its long-time gubernatorial candidate, met at theSan Jerónimo Hilton hotel inSan Juan, Puerto Rico and refused to defend the statehood option in the upcoming July 27 political status plebiscite convened by the pro-status quo Popular Democratic Party (PDP)-dominated Legislature.Estadistas Unidos was organized in weeks and, against overwhelming odds, was able to launch Puerto Rico's first modern, media-based political campaign which resulted in a dramatic increase in votes for statehood (39%) in the plebiscite, in spite of the electoral boycott called for by the
Statehood Republican Party .In addition to Ferré, other leaders of Estadistas Unidos included future Governor
Carlos Romero Barceló , future San Juan MayorHernán Padilla , future SenatorJosé Menéndez Monroig , and future SenatorJusto Méndez . Among statehood leaders who remained loyal to the SRP were party presidentMiguel A. García Méndez , future House Speaker Pro TemJosé Granados and future Senate Vice PresidentOrlando Parga , Jr.On August 20, 1967, organization leaders met at a basketball arena in
Carolina, Puerto Rico for the purpose of dissolving the organization, which they did, but immediately approved a motion to found a new political party, which would be known as theNew Progressive Party (NPP), which went on to win the next general election, breaking the PDP's 28-year long stranglehold on political power, electing Ferré as the first pro-statehood governor. Estadistas Unidos is, thus, deemed to be the precursor of the NPP.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.