Pablo José Hernández Rivera

Pablo José Hernández Rivera is a Puerto Rican attorney and politician serving as the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, the island's non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) who caucuses with the Democratic Party, he was elected in November 2024 and took office on January 3, 2025. Born in San Juan, Hernández Rivera is the grandson of former Governor Rafael Hernández Colón. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Government in 2013 and earned his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School in 2017. Prior to his election, Hernández Rivera's career included serving as a law clerk for Judge Gustavo Gelpí in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and working in private legal practice and public policy consulting in Washington, D.C. He also served as the assistant secretary of federal and international affairs for the PPD. Upon taking office at age 33, he became the youngest person to serve as Resident Commissioner in Puerto Rico's history. He is also a published author, having written works on the political status and history of Puerto Rico, including a biography of former Governor Luis Muñoz Marín.

Hernández Rivera focuses his policy platform on economic development, equity in federal programs, and infrastructure modernization. Regarding Puerto Rico's political status, he is a prominent advocate for the 'commonwealth' (Estado Libre Asociado) status, describing it as a valid and internationally recognized autonomist model while rejecting both statehood and the classification of Puerto Rico as a colony. In healthcare, he has prioritized achieving federal parity for Medicaid and Medicare funding to address the 'Medicaid cliff' and improve services at community health centers. His economic agenda emphasizes bolstering the island's manufacturing sector, particularly medical devices, and securing federal resources for water and energy infrastructure resilience. In Congress, he is a member of the New Democrat Coalition and focuses on bipartisan legislation related to disaster aid and supply chain security.