Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico’s Governor, Resigns After Protests

“This has to change, and it has to change from the top all the way to the bottom,” he said.

The stunning events that led to Mr. Rosselló’s ouster felt like a turning point after Puerto Ricans had endured years of economic pain. A recession on the island has lasted more than a decade. Hundreds of thousands of people have left. A debt crisis has bankrupted the government. Congress placed Puerto Rico’s finances under the control of a federal oversight board. Then came the hurricane. Some people were without electricity for almost a year afterward.

When the protests erupted, both in San Juan and in mainland cities that are home to members of the vast Puerto Rican diaspora, the governor resisted relinquishing his position. He said he had acted inappropriately but not unlawfully in the group chat, and vowed to finish his term, which runs through 2020.

But as crowds continued to gather outside his official residence and as the unrest spread to other parts of the island, leaders from San Juan to Washington abandoned Mr. Rosselló. He was left to choose between resigning and facing a lengthy and embarrassing impeachment, orchestrated by his own New Progressive Party to force him out.

Mr. Rosselló tried to buy time by announcing on Sunday that he would not seek re-election, and that he would step down as president of his party. All that did, however, was intensify the resolve of the people on the streets, who insisted that only his resignation would suffice.

Calls for the governor’s resignation came from all corners of the island and from Washington, where Republican and Democratic lawmakers said Mr. Rosselló had lost so much credibility that Congress might be less likely to disburse important federal aid to Puerto Rico.

(Puerto Rico’s political parties do not neatly align with those on the mainland. Mr. Rosselló is a Democrat in national politics, though many members of the island’s New Progressive Party are Republicans.)

On Monday, El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, ran a front-page editorial with the headline, “Governor, it’s time to listen to the people: You must resign.”

Mr. Rosselló’s departure appeared to end a political dynasty in Puerto Rico. His father, Pedro J. Rosselló, was governor from 1993 through 2000. Corruption scandals plagued the elder Mr. Rosselló’s administration. The scandals did not force him to resign, but they did appear to keep him from winning a third term. The elder Mr. Rosselló resigned from the New Progressive Party two days before his son resigned his post.