 The ruling party had split with the creation of the People's Party, which ran incumbent PDP-elected Governor Roberto Sánchez Vilella as its gubernatorial candidate, ending Luis Muñoz Marín's PPD's hold on the governor's seat, which had lasted 20 years.During Ferré's administration, Puerto Rico was in an economic boom at 7% GDP growth and the unemployment at 10%.His work as governor of Puerto Rico included defending the federal minimum wage and granting workers a Christmas bonus.