The campaign period for the Mexico elections has now begun, and while plenty of candidates are running for the presidency, three are standing out.

They are Citizen's Movement/Movimiento Ciudadano (MC)'s Jorge Alvarez Maynez, Citizen Front for Mexico/Frente Amplio por México (FAM)'s Xochitl Galvez, and ruling party Morena's Claudia Sheinbaum.

There are also several independent candidates running. However, the real race is between the three major party candidates, as reflected by recent surveys.

We are taking a look at who they are, their platforms, and how well they are doing in the polls ahead of the 2024 race.

The Top 3 Highest-Polling Presidential Candidates for the 2024 Mexico Elections

The race for the National Palace in Mexico City is officially on, and so far, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's hand-picked successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, is undoubtedly the runaway favorite. However, for the June 2, 2024 elections, let us take a good look at the top three candidates, according to the polls.

3rd Place: Jorge Alvarez Maynez - Citizen's Movement

Jorge Alvarez Maynez is a lower house representative for Zacatecas and took over his party's nomination after Nuevo Leon Governor Samuel Garcia dropped out of the race last December, according to Americas Quarterly. He is courting the younger voters as he promises to bring a fresher outlook to the presidency, as opposed to his competitors, whom he says are "trapped in the past, in an old way of doing politics."

He promises to follow the example of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in tackling the violence happening in Mexico, stating, "If El Salvador, which has fewer resources than Mexico, was able to tackle this issue head-on, Mexico can do it with a civilian strategy that has peace as its objective."

However, at 5%, he is a distant third from the other two candidates, though he is still doing much better than all the others.

2nd Place: Xochitl Galvez - Opposition Coalition

Galvez is the nominee for an opposition alliance of three parties, per Reuters. According to a February survey by polling firm Parametria, she is polling in 2nd place with 29% of the votes.

A stern opponent and critic of President AMLO, she has painted the ruling Morena Party as ineffective on issues like crime and health care. Her Indigenous background and history of advocacy with Indigenous Peoples also make her popular with the Indigenous population outside of the capital. She has also proven to be popular with the middle class, but she has yet to crack that big lead by the #1 candidate in the polls.

1st Place: Claudia Sheinbaum - Morena Party

Considered the hand-picked successor to Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum has been dominating the polls at 1st place with 49%, as the current president's critics cannot agree on one single candidate to dethrone Morena Party rule just yet.

According to The Wilson Center, she used to be the Secretary of the Environment for Mexico City when AMLO was still the mayor of Mexico City. She has since become an apprentice of his of sorts since she started her political career, even becoming the mayor of Mexico City herself, just like her top ally.

She is expected to continue her predecessor's policies if elected president but is also expected to have her own stamp on government, such as having a more technocratic approach.

READ MORE: Mexico Elections Feared To Be Bloodiest Ever After Several Candidates Already Killed by Organized Crime

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Written by: Rick Martin

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