More populist policies or tougher fight with cartels? Mexicans weigh choice as they pick new leader

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Voters choosing Mexico’s next president are deciding between a former academic who promises to further the current leader’s populist policies and an ex-senator and tech firm owner who pledges to up the fight against deadly drug cartels. The country’s nearly 100 million registered voters will also vote for governors in nine of the country’s 32 states, as well as all the seats in both houses of Congress. Thousands of mayorships and other local posts will also be at stake. The elections are seen as a referendum on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a populist who has expanded social programs but failed to reduce drug cartel violence.