What Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s Next President, Could Mean For Texas?

On Sunday, Mexico held elections, and Claudia Sheinbaum is the projected next president, becoming the first woman in the presidency in all North America history. However, how can the new Mexican President affect Texas? Let’s find out.

Sheinbaum would likely continue the policies of her mentor and outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Gema Kloppe-Sntamaría, an associate professor of Latin American history and international affairs at George Washington University told the Texas Standard that she expects many things to remain the same.

“Sheinbaum both inherits a country with so many challenges. And I would highlight, of course, questions of security, violence, that continues to be a huge challenge. We may be seeing a lot of continuity in terms of security policies,”  Kloppe-Santamaría said. “I would say that in terms of migration and as far as it concerns the United States, we might also expect [the government] to continue collaborating with the United States in terms of securing the border there.”

In terms of trade, the U.S.-Mexico relationship has grown in the past years, and is expected to keep growing. Currently, Mexico is the largest trading partner of the U.S. and Kloppe-Santamaría said she believes that won’t change.

“There’s a big move towards nearshoring going on right now.” Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business told Kxan. “And with the passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — which had the support of every single member of the Texas delegation — there’s quite a bit of increased trade going on between the United States and Mexico, and Texas and Mexico.”

Hamer also highlighted that the trade between Texas and Mexico is up to about $285 billion.

“Dr. Sheinbaum has expressed on a number of occasions, her support for doing more in terms of nearshoring,” Hamer said. “We’re going to do everything we possibly can to see that number increase.”

However, Sheinbaum has also followed Lopez Obrador in his confrontations with Gov. Greg Abbott. She has criticized the razor wire installed along the border and also the passage of SB4, which allowed state officials to arrest migrants.

Sheinbaum was previously Mexico City’s Mayor and holds a Ph.D in energy engineering.