Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló
announced Sunday that he won't seek re-election and is stepping down
as the chair of his pro-statehood party.
“I have made mistakes and I have
apologized,” Rosselló said in a Facebook post. “I am a good man
who has a lot of love for his island and for everyone.”
Rosselló has been facing calls to
resign over homophobic and misogynistic comments.
The controversy erupted last weekend
after 889 pages of messages on Telegram between Rosselló and several
members of his administration were published. The messages include
Rosselló using a gay slur to attack a journalist and a former
senator. He also described a former New York City lawmaker who was
born in Puerto Rico as a “whore.”
Several involved in the group chat have
stepped down, but Rosselló has defied calls to resign.
Thousands of people, including out
singer Ricky Martin and reggaeton stars Bad Bunny and Residente, have
marched in the streets to call for Rosselló to step down. An
island-wide strike is planned for Monday.
Analysts said that Rosselló's
concessions were mostly meaningless because he was unlikely to win a
second term in office.