“He knows he is the underdog, he knows he has to be there just in case because the risk of the favorite falling out, Sheinbaum, is high. So if the favorite falls, Plan B is activated and he can be Plan B: close to the president, secretary of the Interior, and he has a great possibility of growing because he is in a position where he can travel wherever he wants every day, it can resolve issues in the states and it can grow,” explains Roy Campos, director of the Mitofsky Survey.
One aspect that drew attention this week and was picked up by the national media was Adán Augusto’s promotion campaign in Monterrey. A promotional truck circulated with his image in a photo in which he appears raising his arms with President López Obrador and the phrase “# AdánVa, transformation Nuevo León.”
In the history of Mexico there are several Secretaries of the Interior who made the leap to a candidacy for the Presidency of the Republic, and some of them succeeded: Gustavo Díaz Ordaz (PRI), Luis Echeverría (PRI), Francisco Labastida (PRI) and Santiago Creel Miranda (PAN).
Juan Pablo Navarrete, a researcher at the Universidad de la Ciénega de Michoacán, explains that it should not be surprising that a president has a “favorite”, however, he clarifies that this does not guarantee obtaining the candidacy, much less winning the presidency.
“We should not be scared that the president has a favorite, the thing is that in the last three six-year terms, two of the favorites have not obtained the candidacy and one lost the election. Fox’s favorite was Santiago Creel, the candidacy went to Calderón. Calderón’s favorite was Ernesto Cordero, the nomination was obtained by Josefina Vázquez Mota, and with Peña Nieto, the candidacy was wanted by Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, but José Antonio Meade obtained it, but lost the election. The support of the president is not definitive to obtain the candidacy or to win, ”he points out.
Almost a year ago, President López Obrador “uncovered” his possible successor. He listed Claudia Sheinbaum and Marcelo Ebrard, in addition to Tatiana Clouthier, Secretary of the Economy; Rocío Nahle, head of Energy, Esteban Moctezuma, Mexican ambassador to the United States, and Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Mexican representative to the United Nations Organization. However, one more “corcholata” would soon come out of his homeland: Adán Augusto López, who arrived at the Interior Ministry after the departure of Olga Sánchez Cordero.
