Mexico’s presidential candidates promise security or continuity as campaigns officially begin

By MARK STEVENSON and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ
Associated Press

IRAPUATO, Mexico (AP) — Tens of thousands of people packed a stadium in a violence-torn Mexico state while even more did so in Mexico City’s central square as the country’s leading presidential candidates officially kicked off their campaigns. Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s chosen successor, drew a multitude of supporters to the heart of the capital who expressed a desire to see her continue her mentor’s policies. Opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez launched an attack on López Obrador’s security policies and said voters would have a clear choice of continuing on the same path or electing her to take a much more aggressive approach to securing the nation.