On June 2, Claudia Sheinbaum was elected to Mexico’s highest office. A climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum will now become the first woman president in the country’s history. 

Her victory is part of a resounding win for the ruling Morena party and its allies, which gained a congressional majority in the elections. Now, the Mexican left may be able to reshape the country’s policy landscape through constitutional reform — something Sheinbaum’s mentor, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, tried unsuccessfully to do during his term. 

This episode features a conversation between Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico, and Lorena Becerra, a political scientist and pollster who previously worked at the newspaper Reforma. Tune in as they explore voter turnout on June 2 and the implications of Morena’s landslide victory for Mexican policy.

This conversation was recorded on June 4, 2024. For more on issues central to U.S.-Mexico relations, check out the “Judy Ley Allen México Centered” podcast from the Center for the U.S. and Mexico.

Discussants

Lorena Becerra, Ph.D.

Tony Payan, Ph.D.