After 200 years of the Mexican Republic, voters chose a woman to lead the country for the first time. Claudia Sheinbaum, a climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, won the 2024 C.E. presidential election with between 58% and 60% of the vote — a margin of roughly 30 percentage points over her nearest rival. The result wasn’t close. It was a declaration.
At a glance
- First female president of Mexico: Sheinbaum becomes the first woman elected to the presidency in Mexico’s two centuries as an independent republic, taking office on October 1, 2024 C.E.
- Landslide victory: She defeated businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez by approximately 30 percentage points, one of the widest margins in recent Mexican presidential history.
- Climate scientist turned president: Before entering politics, Sheinbaum earned a doctorate in energy engineering and spent years researching Mexican energy consumption at a California lab, making her one of the most scientifically credentialed leaders in the world.
A historic moment 200 years in the making
In her victory speech, Sheinbaum placed the win in its full historical context. “For the first time in the 200 years of the Republic,” she told a crowd of cheering supporters, “I will become the first woman president of Mexico.”
She was quick to share the moment. “I’ve said it from the start — this is not just about me getting here. It’s about all of us getting here.”
The significance wasn’t lost on older voters. Edelmira Montiel, 87, told Reuters she was grateful to be alive to witness it. “Before, we couldn’t even vote,” she said, recalling that Mexican women were only granted the right to vote in national elections in 1953 C.E. “Thank God that has changed.”
Science as a foundation for leadership
Sheinbaum’s path to the presidency ran through a laboratory before it ran through the ballot box. She studied physics as an undergraduate, then earned a doctorate in energy engineering. She spent years at a research institution in California analyzing Mexico’s energy consumption patterns and became a recognized expert on climate change — including contributing to work connected to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
That scientific background shaped her entry into public life. When Andrés Manuel López Obrador was mayor of Mexico City, he appointed her as the city’s secretary of the environment. In 2018 C.E., she became the first woman ever to serve as mayor of Mexico City — one of the largest cities in the world and traditionally a steppingstone to the presidency.
Her family history adds another layer of depth. Her maternal Jewish grandparents fled Bulgaria to escape Nazi persecution, eventually settling in Mexico. Both her parents were scientists. The arc from refugee grandparents to the nation’s highest office is a particular kind of Mexican story.
What she has promised
Sheinbaum has pledged continuity with the welfare programs introduced by outgoing President López Obrador, whose approval ratings hovered near 60% at the end of his term. Those programs, aimed at reducing poverty and expanding social protections, drew broad popular support and were a central reason many voters backed her.
On U.S.-Mexico relations — which grew strained under her predecessor — she promised “a relationship of friendship, mutual respect, and equality,” while also pledging to defend the rights of Mexicans living and working in the United States.
On the economy, she has signaled support for poverty reduction and investment in public welfare as tools for social stability.
The challenges ahead
The election itself was shadowed by violence. The government reported that more than 20 local candidates were killed in the lead-up to voting day; independent surveys put the figure higher. Organized crime and cartel activity remain deeply serious problems across large parts of the country.
Sheinbaum’s approach centers on addressing what she calls the roots of violence — investing in welfare and opportunity to reduce criminal recruitment among young Mexicans. Critics, including her opponent Xóchitl Gálvez, have argued that this strategy lacks the direct confrontation that the situation demands. Whether her approach can deliver measurable results will be one of the defining tests of her presidency.
The fact that both leading candidates in this election were women was widely celebrated as a sign of Mexico’s democratic maturity. But the campaign’s violent backdrop was a reminder of how much hard work remains.
Sheinbaum closed her victory speech with four words: “I won’t fail you.” For a country that has waited two centuries for this moment, those words carry real weight.
Read more
For more on this story, see: BBC News
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Marie-Louise Eta becomes the first female head coach in men’s top-flight European football
- Ghana creates a new marine protected area at Cape Three Points
- The Good News for Humankind archive on Mexico
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