Political Quotes

“Today, I rise to honor the life of my longtime friend and mentor, Alvaro Cifuentes. On March 2, Puerto Rico suffered a tragic loss. Born in Mayaguez, Alvaro graduated magna cum laude from the University of Puerto Rico in 1972, earning a bachelor's of business administration. He then went on to graduate from law school from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, earning a J.D., again magna cum laude, in 1975. He came from a long line of wise politicos from Puerto Rico who helped navigate the island over decades. Alvaro practiced law for 17 years and became a managing partner at the law firm of Goldman Antonetti in San Juan. In 1992, he managed Pedro Rosello's successful race for Governor of Puerto Rico, a man who would go on to win two terms, a hard task in the history of the island. After serving as Governor Rosello's chief of staff for 3 years, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he focused on building the Democratic Party within the Hispanic community. From 2001 to 2005, he served as the chair of the DNC's Hispanic Caucus, where he increased the party's Hispanic membership by over 30 percent. As chair, Alvaro rebuilt an unprecedented Hispanic campaign network and called for John Kerry to work toward winning Hispanic votes. In 2004, he earned the honor of being named one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by the Hispanic Business Magazine.…”