In Mexico, Two Mayoral Candidates Shot Dead

Two candidates for mayor in the Mexican city of Maravatio have been gunned down within hours of each other, raising worries that drug gangs are trying to influence the June 2 election. Campaigning doesn't formally begin until Friday.

• State prosecutors said Tuesday that Armando Pérez was found shot to death in his car just before midnight, per the AP. He was the candidate for the conservative National Action Party.
• Hours earlier, officials with the ruling Morena party confirmed their candidate, Miguel Ángel Zavala, was found shot to death Monday in his car.

• Location: Maravatio is in the western state of Michoacan, which has been particularly hard hit by gang turf wars. Specifically, the Jalisco New Generation cartel is fighting a local gang, the Viagras, for control. Michoacan had the fifth-highest number of attacks on politicians and government officials in 2023, behind Guerrero state to the south and Guanajuato state to the north. Zacatecas and Veracruz also had a higher number of attacks.
• Context: In a report published this month, Integralia Consultants wrote that "organized crime will intervene like never before in local elections in 2024" because more mayor's offices are at stake, more cartels are engaged in turf wars, and cartels have expanded their business model far beyond drugs. Cartels make much of their money extorting protection payments from local businesses and even local governments, making mayoral races more important to them than national elections.

(More Mexico stories.)