Pablo Hernández Rivera

Pablo José Hernández Rivera (born May 11, 1991) is a Puerto Rican politician who is the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico.

Early life and education Pablo José Hernández Rivera is the grandson of the former governor Rafael Hernández Colón and his wife Lila Mayoral Wirshing. He graduated from Academia del Perpetuo Socorro, earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, and obtained a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.

Career Hernández Rivera was formerly assistant secretary of federal and international affairs for the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). On the federal level, Hernández Rivera caucuses with the Democratic Party.

In November 2024, in an opinion piece in The Hill, he announced that for the first time since 2000, Puerto Rican voters had chosen an opponent of Puerto Rican statehood as their delegate to the United States House of Representatives.

In January 2025, Hernández Rivera announced his candidacy for the presidency of the PPD following the resignation of Jesús Manuel Ortiz.

On February 2, 2025, he took office as president of the party, and announced his intention to refound the group, defining it as "realistic, autonomist, and centrist".

He has advocated for redefining the country's status as a "commonwealth" for greater self-governance, federal parity, and a more clear division of powers with the U.S. He agrees with his grandfather, former governor Rafael Hernández Colón, in viewing Puerto Rico as both a homeland and a nation and also rejecting its classification as a colony.

In the wake of Jenniffer González Colón's election to the office of governor, Hernández Rivera said, "Having a Republican governor seriously reduces the possibility that President Trump will attack Puerto Rico."

In May 2025, Hernández Rivera accused pro-statehood Puerto Rican government officials of failing to liaise with him, despite his position as resident commissioner, effectively Puerto Rico's sole federal-level representative.

In June 2025, Hernández Rivera participated in the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, making him the first resident commissioner to attend since Aníbal Acevedo Vilá.

In July 2025, Pablo Hernández Rivera stated that statehood for Puerto Rico was impossible, and that the solution for the territory was to seek greater autonomy to enter into trade and tax agreements with other countries and to maximize the resources. Greater autonomy would provide Puerto Rico more opportunities to invest in economic development.

Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico

Committee assignments

Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Caucus memberships

Congressional Hispanic Caucus New Democratic Coalition

Electoral history