Bad Bunny speaks during the Puerto Rico election

The bad bunny has been outspoken about social and political issues in Puerto Rico, but many have wondered if he plans to take a definitive position this election year. He was ever-present during the 2019 protests, but would he appear now? In September, he released “One Velita,” a powerful and moving call for leadership change in the Caribbean archipelago. There have been rumors about what will happen next, but nothing has been confirmed. Suddenly, he started following just one person on Instagram: Puerto Rico’s third-party gubernatorial candidate, Juan Dalmau Ramírez.

To understand Dalmau’s campaign, you have to look at Puerto Rico in broad terms. In recent years, Puerto Rico has been hit by multiple recessions, a catastrophic hurricane, devastating austerity measures, rampant corruption by members of Congress and top government officials (including its Secretary of Education), devastating earthquakes, pandemics, and more . All of this has led to the largest exodus of residents since the 1940s migration, a shortage of medical professionals, the closing of schools and hospitals, and skyrocketing rent prices due to an influx of foreigners who bought entire blocks and plots of land to transform into short term housing and vacation rentals.

The 2020 election produced an unusual race between the pro-state New Progressive Party and the pro-commonwealth People’s Democratic Party. That year saw the development of the Citizens Victory Movement, a new left-wing party that invited voters to respond to the social needs of Puerto Rico and centered those initiatives, regardless of their preferred status. Along with the historic Puerto Rican Independence Party, which for decades has always been a distant third during elections, they won a total of 354,000 votes. Encouraged by these numbers, the two parties formed a coalition and united behind a single candidate. The coalition was called La Alianza (“The Alliance”), and the person chosen to lead it was Juan Dalmau, a former senator and candidate of the Independence Party in 2020.

The bad bunny Following Dalmau on Instagram was not a tacit endorsement. Fellow urban artists have had their say, in Puerto Rico and across the United States Annual AA and Nicky Jam endorsing Donald J. Trump and others publicly endorsing Dalmau. Benito remained silent until just before Dalmau’s closing rally on November 3, posting on X: “Remember, the week starts on Sunday, not Monday.” On November 2, he posted on Instagram: “I’m going to bed now, so it can already be tomorrow.”

At noon on the day of the rally, Dalmau’s social media accounts posted a presentation of the artists who would perform. At the top, finally, was the name everyone was looking for: “Bad Bunny.” Dalmau has consistently drawn the biggest crowds during the campaign cycle and won the endorsement of some of the island’s biggest names. Here’s what Bad Bunny had to say when he showed up at the rally and the highlights of the historic event.

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Huge presence

The rally exceeded even the highest expectations. The final estimated attendance was 65,000, easily eclipsing any of the other party’s rallies on the same evening by a huge margin. The lineup featured a variety of artists and bands, from popular and ever-political rock band Fiel A La Vega and legendary folk singer Roy Brown to young quartet Chuwi. The other performers who appeared were PJ Sin Suela, Rafa Pabön, Kany García, iLe and Residente. Other artists such as Rauw Alejandro, Brray and Arcángel were in attendance as well as supporters, but their presence was fondly noted by fans at the event and online.

Mixed reactions to the presidential election

The event was almost entirely focused on Puerto Rico, with the exception of a few minutes taken up by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the US Congress. She had endorsed Dalmau two weeks earlier and expressed her drive for his candidacy, but also went on to mention the tight race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump, calling the former a racist and referring to the infamous “island garbage” directed. in Puerto Rico by one of his surrogates at his recent rally in Madison Square Garden.

A soft-spoken resident addresses the crowd

Resident and Kany García hit the stage and performed Resident’s 2017 song “Hijos del Cañaveral”. Turning his attention to the crowd, he talked about how the moment felt for him. “(I’m here) full of hope for better public education and to end all the damn corruption in this country. You don’t know how excited I am,” he said. “This means more than any concert I’ve ever played in any country in the world or any award I’ve won. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, just to see so many people proud to be Puerto Rican.”

Bad Bunny talks about his political awakening

Soon after, the man everyone was waiting for made his appearance without much fanfare. A spotlight revealed Bad Bunny to the crowd, who erupted into cheers. Shifting his weight and looking more solemn than usual, he exuded an unusual nervous energy. His opening remarks admitted as much, as he shared that he found giving speeches more nerve-wracking than performing. As he began his remarks, he paused to collect himself, taking a deep breath.

He directly addressed the idea that he was paid or pressured to attend the rally, saying: “No one told me I had to be here. My heart told me to come; my heart and love for (Puerto Rico) brought me here.”

For over 30 minutes, he talked about how he got to this point and what he considers his political awakening. He noted that he grew up in a household that voted militantly for the pro-state New Progressive Party and recalled that the first time he voted was “for a traitor who put more than 30,000 families out of work.” , including most of Benito’s family at the time. While he was not named, he was referring to former Gov. Luis G. Fortuño, who in 2008 laid off nearly 30,000 workers in an effort he said was aimed at cutting government spending. (Initially there was some confusion about the timeline; Bad Bunny went to X later he clarifies and pushes back at those who call him a liar)

“Nobody had to tell me about it,” he said, referring to mismanagement and corruption. “I lived it. I was born and raised here.” He then said it was the first and last time he voted for a New Progressive Party candidate.

Bad Bunny’s ultimate endorsement

In the past month, Benito has invested nearly $500,000 buying billboards around the island with slogans and messages criticizing the island’s two major parties. “I live in Puerto Rico. I have lived in Puerto Rico all my life. I was born here and I want to die here,” he said, adding that he spent seven months abroad in 2023 for work, saying it was the longest he had ever spent away from home. “There are many Puerto Ricans who have had to leave, but they still have the right to speak, especially when their dream is to return one day.”

As his speech ended, he finally and officially endorsed Juan Dalmau and La Alianza, saying “the (other two parties) are not a change and they are not an option”.

As he became more and more excited, his body language loosened and the Bad Bunny that everyone knows and loves began to emerge. “I dream of a united Puerto Rico that demands self-respect, dammit! I don’t follow any party. My party is the people, my party is Puerto Rico,” he said. With a raised voice, he looked out and said, “I am here because I love my country as I love my mother, and I would give my life for my mother.”