Rafy Santos is a New Progressive Party (Partido Nuevo Progresista) member of the Senate of Puerto Rico, representing District 6. Santos, whose full name is Rafael Santos Ortiz, was elected as a senator for the Guayama district in the general election of November 5, 2024, and took office on January 2, 2025. The current term runs until January 2029.1
Santos was born on October 23, 1978, and is a native of Barranquitas, where Santos attended elementary school in the Palo Hincado community. Santos earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree in education, concentrating in curriculum and teaching, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Santos spent 22 years as a physical education teacher and teaching facilitator and has worked as a sports broadcaster and play-by-play commentator since age 14. Santos began in public service as a special assistant in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and served as vice president of the New Progressive Party’s municipal committee in Coamo.
In the Senate, Santos chairs the Committee on Youth, Recreation and Sports and the joint legislative committee that oversees the Jorge A. Ramos Comas Legislative Internship Program. Santos is vice chair of the Ethics Committee and a member of several other standing committees, including Agriculture; Education, Arts and Culture; Science, Technology and Artificial Intelligence; and Tourism, Natural Resources and Environment. The senator’s stated areas of focus include inclusive education, equal opportunity, and removing barriers for people with disabilities, young people and older adults.
