(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-04-07 09:48

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Bill Clinton took his wife's presidential campaign to Puerto Rico on Sunday night, telling islanders that Sen. Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to fix a struggling economy.

The former president arrived for a two-day visit ahead of the US Caribbean territory's June 1 Democratic primary, which could give Puerto Rico a rare opportunity to have a say in national politics.

In a speech at the island's largest public housing complex, he promised that Sen. Clinton would help Puerto Rico overcome a limping economy and unemployment that is roughly double the US rate of 5.1 percent.

"She will bring work to the people of Puerto Rico," Clinton told a cheering crowd of several hundred.

Puerto Ricans have no voting representation in the US Congress and cannot cast ballots in the presidential election, but the island's 63 delegates to the Democratic convention could help determine whether the nomination goes to Hillary Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama.

On Sunday, Clinton promised his wife would ensure that Puerto Ricans, who are US citizens, receive the same access to affordable health care as mainland residents.

"It is a good thing that your voice will be heard all across the United States," he said.

Some residents of the Llorens Torres housing complex said they were surprised to see a former president in their midst.

"We are poor and we didn't expect him here. It is very special that he came to this place," said Margarita Pagan Bruno, 55. "We hope she wins the US presidency."

There has been little indication of whether Obama or Clinton will fare better in Puerto Rico, where local politics largely revolve around the island's relationship to the US mainland.

But with the national spotlight on Puerto Rico, the local Democratic Party changed the June 1 contest from a caucus to a primary to encourage more people to participate.

At stake are 56 delegates to the party convention, to be awarded proportionally. They will be accompanied by seven superdelegates - among them Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila, who backs Obama and has vowed to attend despite facing federal charges of campaign financing.

Only three remaining states - Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana _ have more Democratic delegates up for grabs.

Clinton was to attend a private fundraiser later Sunday night.