Ferrer was reelected at the 2004 general elections, this time as a representative at-large.[7] After his party lost the majority in both the Senate and the House, Ferrer took over as minority speaker.
In 2008, Ferrer was reelected for a third consecutive term, being the candidate with the most votes for the position among all candidates.[8] Due to the defeat of the PPD in the race for governor and both the Senate and the House, Ferrer remained as minority speaker.
In 2011, he surrendered the presidency of the party to new gubernatorial candidate, Alejandro García Padilla. He had initially announced his intentions to run for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, but then announced his decision to run for mayor of San Juan, against incumbent Jorge Santini at the 2012 general elections. However, after being arrested for alleged domestic abuse,[9] he dropped his candidacy and moved away from politics. Five months later, the case against Ferrer was archived and no charges were presented against him.[10]
In February 2017, Ferrer was reelected by his party as President.[13] In October 2018, he surrendered the presidency to Aníbal José Torres.
Personal life
He was married to Sonia Marie Santiago with whom he had two children, Hector Enrique Ferrer Santiago and Marielisa Ferrer Santiago. After his divorce he had a brief marriage to Attorney Jacqueline Martinez. Once divorced, he had a relationship Elisa "Beba" Hernández for seven years, with whom he had a son, Eduardo José Ferrer Hernandez. Ferrer's brother, Eduardo, was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.
Ferrer was an avid athlete and practiced a variety of sports, including baseball, jogging, cycling, and swimming, among others.
Domestic abuse scandal
In February 2012, Ferrer was detained after allegations of domestic abuse against his long-term partner, Elisa Hernández.[9] Initially, Hernández was granted a protection order against Ferrer for one year. Shortly after, however, she asked for it to be rescinded.[14] With conflicting versions surrounding the circumstances of the event and how it was handled, Ferrer resigned all of his political positions five days after the accusation.[15] Several months later, the Office of the Special Independent Prosecutor's Panel (FEI in Spanish) determined there was insufficient evidence against Ferrer and opted not to press any charges against him.[16] Several days after Ferrer's arrest, Hernández presented a sworn statement in which she claimed she was "coaxed by government figures to accuse" Ferrer.[17][18]
In September 2018, Ferrer had a relapse for which he was hospitalized.[22] He suffered some complications after a surgical procedure, but was released from the hospital after a week.[23] Ferrer died almost two months later, on November 5, 2018, at the Auxilio Mutuo Hospital in Hato Rey after surgery. At the moment of Ferrer's death, his parents and youngest son were beside him.[24]Carlos Delgado Altieri, Secretary General for the PPD and mayor of Isabela, Puerto Rico, confirmed the news and called it "something quick and unexpected".[25] As a result, Governor Ricardo Rosselló declared five days of mourning in honor of Ferrer.[26]
