Mexico's next president likely to be a woman after third-party candidate leaves race

MEXICO CITY – A third-party candidate announced Saturday he is leaving Mexico’s 2024 presidential race, practically ensuring the country ’s next president will be a woman.

Samuel García, the governor of the northern border state of Nuevo Leon, said Saturday he won’t run for president in the June 2 elections. He had been polling below 10% in the race, and was given almost no chance of actually winning.

That leaves only the ruling Morena party and the opposition coalition’s candidates, both of whom are women. While García’s small Citizen’s Movement party could yet nominate another male candidate, García’s troubled exit suggests the party won’t be able to find anyone of much stature to run.