Clinton, Bush Win Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton on Sunday won Puerto Rico’s Democratic primary by an overwhelming margin over former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown. On the GOP side, Patrick J. Buchanan’s challenge barely registered as President Bush scored a sweeping victory.

With nearly all the votes counted, Clinton was winning 96% among the Democrats and Bush had 99% among Republicans. Because the primary rules require that a candidate get at least 15% of the vote to win delegates, Clinton stood to gain all 51 Democratic delegates. Bush stood to gain all 14 on the GOP side.

Clinton had strong support from the island’s Democratic leadership and supported tax breaks benefiting companies that form the commonwealth’s industrial base.

Brown dismissed the results, saying, “Puerto Rico is run by the party hierarchy. We can’t compete there. We’re an insurgent campaign.”

The island’s Republican leader, former Gov. Luis Ferre, had urged a big Republican turnout to show GOP leaders in Washington, D.C., that they had nothing to fear politically from a Puerto Rican state. Ferre is a close friend of Bush, who has publicly advocated statehood.