Wanda Vázquez Garced

Wanda Vázquez
Vázquez in 2022
Governor of Puerto Rico
In office August 7, 2019 – January 2, 2021
Preceded by	Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto)[a]
Succeeded by	Pedro Pierluisi
19th Secretary of Justice of Puerto Rico
In office January 2, 2017 – August 7, 2019
Governor	Ricardo Rosselló Pedro Pierluisi (de facto)
Preceded by	César Miranda
Succeeded by	Dennise Longo Quiñones
Personal details
Born	Wanda Vázquez Garced (1960-07-09) July 9, 1960 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Political party	New Progressive
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2019)[1] Republican (since 2019)[2][3]
Spouse(s)	Jorge Díaz Reverón
Children	2
Education	University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (BA) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (JD)

Wanda Emilia Vázquez Garced (born July 9, 1960)^[4][5] is a Puerto Rican politician and attorney who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 2019 to 2021. Before becoming governor, she was the 19th secretary of Justice from 2017 to 2019. Vázquez is the second female governor after Sila María Calderón.^[6][7]

In August 2022, Vázquez was arrested by the FBI over a bribery case involving her 2020 gubernatorial campaign.^[8][9] In 2025, She pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation.^[10][11] In 2026, Vázquez was pardoned by President Donald Trump.^[12][13]

1. ↑ Sanchez, Ray; Levenson, Eric (July 25, 2019). "Likely Successor of Puerto Rico's Disgraced Governor in Crosshairs of Wary Protesters". CNN. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
2. ↑ "Puerto Rico Gov. Vázquez Outlines Plans for Island after Political Turmoil". NBC Miami. August 20, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
3. ↑ "Wanda Vázquez Garced Fue Parte de la Asociación de Secretarios de Justicia de Los Demócratas". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
4. ↑ null (2019-07-24). "Quién es Wanda Vázquez, la nueva gobernadora de Puerto Rico". The New York Times (in Spanish). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
5. ↑ Rivera, Rafy (2026-01-17). "¿Quién es Wanda Vázquez Garced, la exgobernadora de Puerto Rico a quien Trump planea indultar?". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-13.
6. ↑ "Exgobernadora Wanda Vázquez se declara culpable de un delito federal menos grave en Puerto Rico | Univision Puerto Rico WLII | Univision". www.univision.com (in Spanish). 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
7. ↑ "¿Quién es Wanda Vázquez, prevista como gobernadora interina de Puerto Rico?". CNN (in Spanish). 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
8. ↑ "FBI arrests former Puerto Rico governor on bribery charges". The Washington Post. 2022-08-04. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
9. ↑ "FBI arrests Wanda Vazquez-Garced, former governor or Puerto Rico, for bribery - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
10. ↑ Mazzei, Patricia; Miami, Glenn ThrushPatricia Mazzei reported from; Washington, Glenn Thrush from (2025-08-27). "Former Puerto Rico Governor Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Violation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
11. ↑ "Former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez pleads guilty to campaign finance violation". AP News. 2025-08-27. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
12. ↑ Wolf, Rachel (2026-01-16). "Trump to pardon former Puerto Rico governor and her co-defendants, White House official says". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
13. ↑ Superville, -Darlene; Superville, Associated Press Darlene; Press, Associated (2026-01-16). "Trump to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Vázquez in campaign finance case, White House says". PBS News. Retrieved 2026-02-13.

1. ↑ Pierluisi's swearing in was deemed unconstitutional and he was removed from office on August 7, 2019. Vázquez Garced was subsequently sworn in as governor.