Politics: Data set from the presidential race
Now that the presidential nomination phase of this year's electoral contest has concluded, a look back at the sort of campaigning that took place between December 1 and February 11 tells a lot about how each nominee used that period to try to overcome their biggest challenges.
José Antonio Meade crisscrossed the country in an effort to connect with PRI voters, who have been slow to warm to the unaffiliated candidate; he also held the most meetings with interest groups, while focusing on themes of unity and security. Ricardo Anaya spent the most time of any candidate on the road, rallying members of his PAN and also trying to stoke enthusiasm among supporters of the two other parties in his coalition (PRD and MC). Andrés Manuel López Obrador prioritized major rallies promoting his own Morena party, especially in Veracruz and Chiapas, states where the party sees a growing opportunity to win governorships this July. And in a departure from past practice, he spent considerable time on press interviews as he tries to shed his past image as a populist firebrand. Unsurprisingly, López Obrador spent the most time on corruption, followed by public security, though Anaya dedicated similar portions of his narrative to both issues. The fact that unity was Meade's most common topic underscores the uphill battle he is facing in energizing the PRI base, and while he didn't ignore the delicate issue of corruption, he spent much more time on public security issues.
With most polls showing AMLO maintaining his frontrunner status, Anaya gaining some momentum but still more than 10 points off the lead, and Meade remaining a distant third, the latter two campaigns appear especially susceptible to desertions in the next five weeks as decisions over down-ballot candidacies lead to political realignments, a process that AMLO's campaign, which has managed to avoid any major defections, is already cashing in on as he signs up candidates and supporters from across the political spectrum, including many with highly controversial pasts. Each camp's choices of gubernatorial and senatorial candidates can have a major effect on how well the person atop the ticket performs in this presidential contest.
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