SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Rick Santorum says making English an official language should be a “condition” of statehood for Puerto Rico.

Santorum said Thursday that the island would also have to make sure English is spoken “universally.”

The Republican presidential candidate told a Puerto Rican newspaper in an interview this week that English would have to be the “main language” if Puerto Rico were to become a state.

Santorum was in the capital of San Juan to campaign for the island’s GOP presidential primary Sunday.

Puerto Rico is set to hold a referendum on statehood in November. Whether to become the 51st state is the critical issue for this U.S. territory, which does not have full voting rights in Congress.

The island’s Republican governor, Luis Fortuno, backs statehood and supports Santorum rival Mitt Romney.