Mexico’s presidential candidates promise security or continuity as campaigns officially begin

By MARK STEVENSON and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
Associated Press

IRAPUATO, Mexico (AP) — Mexico’s presidential campaigns have officially begun with underdog opposition coalition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez leveraging the country’s ongoing security problems to differentiate herself from Claudia Sheinbaum, the choice of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Gálvez got the early jump on the campaign, holding an event in the violence-torn central state of Zacatecas just after midnight Friday. The former senator and tech entrepreneur said that under her leadership “hugs for criminals are over; they will face the law.” That was a play on López Obrador’s shorthand for his security strategy “hugs, not bullets,” which steered resources to social problems at the root of violence.