Mexico chooses a new president in June. Here's why Arizonans should care

On Sunday, June 2, Mexican voters will head to the polls to choose a new president to lead the country for the next six years. Current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is termed out, and the top two candidates are women so Mexico's next leader is likely to become the country's first ever female president.

U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., sat with The Briefing this week to discuss the impacts of the Mexican elections on Arizona and the United States. Stanton is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and as Phoenix mayor he opened a trade office in Mexico in 2016.

Here are three major takeaways to understand the 2024 presidential elections in Mexico:

• Mexico's Constitution limits presidents to a single, six-year term. Presidential elections in Mexico and the United States overlap every 12 years, including in 2024.

• The two leading candidates for president are Claudia Sheinbaum, who represents the López Obrador's leftist party MORENA, and Xóchitl Gálvez, a conservative candidate who represents a coalition of opposition parties.

• This year, for the first time, Mexican citizens will be able to vote for president in person at designated polling sites outside of Mexico. The Mexican consulate in Phoenix is one of 20 approved sites in the United States and will have 1,500 ballots available for Mexican citizens with a valid electoral ID who did not register to vote abroad by the February deadline.

Bat-ters up! Each summer, bats begin to flock to southern Arizona, especially to the canyons of the Chiricahua Mountains. This area is home to nearly all of the state's 28 bat species. Soon after they arrive, biologists will begin conducting a bat survey.

The Briefing, hosted by Arizona Republic reporter Rafael Carranza, explores news and issues through interviews with other reporters and newsmakers in a fast-paced, easy-to-digest format.

The Briefing publishes on azcentral.com and YouTube, where The Republic’s audience has grown to nearly 130,000 followers.

The Briefing is just one layer of The Republic's coverage of politics and the 2024 election.

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Get The Republic’s Election 2024 newsletter, The Recount. Each week, Maricopa and Pinal county reporter Sasha Hupka reports and curates must-know campaign news, insider exclusives and service-style voter tips from Arizona’s largest and most talented elections team. Sign up for the newsletter at https://profile.azcentral.com/newsletters/the-recount/.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Voters in Arizona will help choose Mexico's new president