| Sumario: | Puerto Ricans have been migrating to the mainland United States since Puerto Rico became a US territory, a phenomenon that has intensified after Puerto Rico entered an unrelenting recession in 2006. As a result, there are now more Puerto Ricans in the "States" than on the island (Duany 2011, 2017). Consequently, the political views stateside Puerto Ricans hold could influence congressional, presidential, or even state elections. In this paper we show how acculturation and group identity influence the political preferences of Puerto Ricans stateside. Using data from the 1989-90 Latino National Political Survey and the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study Latino Module, we find that high English proficiency, being born in the US and identifying primarily as "American" are all predictive of a preference for statehood. We also examine the effect measures of acculturation and group identity, including primary identity as "Puerto Rican," have on preference for independence and a territorial status.
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