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The shortest month of the year became the longest for many Puerto Ricans, some who watched in horror, others with glee, as the losing gubernatorial candidate with a legacy of corruption elbowed his way into a senate seat on the island. "It's a big mistake," said Manuel Frau, a professor at the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. "All the other senators and representatives were elected. He wasn't." "There is no respect for the democratic process," said Holyoke City Councilor Lillian Santiago. In November, Pedro Rosselló lost his bid for governor to Aníbal Acevedo Vila. He then set his sights on a Senate seat and aims to unseat the chamber's president, who is vice president of the same pro-statehood New Progressive Party of which Rosselló is president. Rosselló filled a slot vacated by a novice senator who said he resigned willingly, 48 hours after being sworn in. The behind-the-scenes maneuverings have fractured the party. Some party members applaud his ambition while others are appalled by it. Earlier in February, it appeared Rosselló would be sidelined by a series of lawsuits aimed at stopping him. But based on one technical issue or another, most have fallen by the wayside. One lawsuit, to examine whether he fills the residency requirement, remains pending. In the meantime, he was sworn in Feb. 13 amid shouts of support and opposition from hundreds of onlookers. But the day before, Rosselló, who was governor of the island for two terms in the 1990s in what has become known as the most corrupt decade in the commonwealth's 60-year democratic history, suffered a loss stateside. [more]