EdoMex governor candidates: Enrique Pena Nieto

Enrique Pena Nieto, PRI & PVEM. Although he earned a master's in public administration from one of the country's finest universities (ITESM, "Monterry Tech"), most people I talked to in the street thought that he got the nomination simply because he was the nephew of old, outgoing governor (and PRI power broker) Arturo Montiel. The popular nickname for this candidate was "el guapo" (which literally translates as the handsome one, but a better rendition capturing the tone would be "prettyboy"). Pena claims to be 38, but his campaign photos look like a high school yearbook. Most stay completely away from the issues, but one encourages youth to think optimistically, ¨You too can have future employment¨and then you see five casually dressed young men. (You have to know that Pena is the one in the middle.)

The campaign was pure PRI classic playbook: stay away from the background of the candidate, stay away from the issues, just get the people to the rallies and the polls. For three months the biggest add campaign in Toluca was getting everyone to join the PRI, getting your own photo ID card and registering to participate in a raffle for television sets and washing machines. It worked: the lines outside of party headquarters have been long.

That sounds like a simplistic strategy, but it is working.