Memorabilia including hats and dolls reflect popularity of Mexico’s president ahead of June election

By MEGAN JANETSKY
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Souvenirs bearing the image of 70-year-old Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sell like T-shirts at a Taylor Swift concert. Just outside Mexico’s presidential palace, throngs of mostly Mexicans crowd around a booth selling plush talking dolls, earrings and plastic sandals plastered with the face of the highly popular leader. López Obrador, best known by his nickname AMLO, has long had a feverish following, but he’s become a larger-than-life figure in Mexican politics as he’s led the nation for nearly six years. Now, despite not being eligible to run for reelection in the upcoming June 2 presidential election, the nationalist arguably looms larger than any of the candidates competing for the helm of Mexico’s government.