Alejandro García Padilla
Alejandro Javier García Padilla (Spanish: [aleˈxandɾo ɣaɾˈsi.a]; born August 3, 1971) is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2013 to 2017.
Alejandro García Padilla | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Puerto Rico | |
| In office January 2, 2013 – January 2, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Luis Fortuño |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Rosselló |
| Member of the Puerto Rican Senate from the at-large district | |
| In office January 2, 2009 – January 1, 2013 | |
| Puerto Rico Secretary of Consumer Affairs | |
| In office January 2, 2005 – January 1, 2009 | |
| Governor | Aníbal Acevedo Vilá |
| Preceded by | [data missing] |
| Succeeded by | Luis Rivera Marín |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alejandro Javier García Padilla August 3, 1971 Coamo, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Popular Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Wilma Pastrana (m. 2001) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (JD) |
| Website | Government website |
Prior to this position, García Padilla held various roles in the political landscape of Puerto Rico; first as Secretary of Consumer Affairs, and then as a member of the 24th Senate of Puerto Rico and as president of the Popular Democratic Party. Locally, he is a staunch advocate for maintaining the current political status of Puerto Rico as that of an unincorporated territory of the United States with self-government, while at the national level he is allied with the Democratic Party.
As governor, García Padilla shared his legislative powers with the 25th Senate and 29th House of Representatives, both controlled by his party. Regardless of this, he was not able to persuade several members of his own party to support his proposals. This failure, in addition to his low popularity, ultimately led him to not seek re-election thus becoming the second governor in Puerto Rican history to not do so after their first term.