On June 4, Mexico witnessed the end of nearly a century of single-party rule in its most populous state after its citizens elected the gubernatorial candidate from Morena, the party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The contest in the State of Mexico, known as Edomex, was closely watched as it is considered a precursor for next year’s presidential election. 

Returns from nearly all polling cites indicate that Delfina Gómez led Morena’s coalition to a victory with 53 percent of the ballots compared with 44 percent for of Alejandra del Moral, a member of the once-dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who represented the Va Por México opposition coalition. 

"The question for Morena is going to be, ‘Well, we're looking pretty strong a year out from this presidential election, but what happens when this president, who is vocal in terms of backing different candidates and propelling them to victory, recedes from the centerstage?’' says Carin Zissis, editor-in-chief of AS/COA Online and a Mexico expert. She spoke about what the June 4 election results in Edomex and Coahuila demonstrate about party alliances and what to watch for next ahead of the 2024 presidential vote.

AS/COA Online: What happened in the June 4 State of Mexico elections and why does it matter? 

Carin Zissis: The State of Mexico election is a key vote because while we're only talking about one out of 32 states, it is the most populous state in Mexico. One in eight Mexicans live in Edomex, which borders Mexico City and is the second-biggest contributor to national GDP after the capital. This election also comes exactly a year before the presidential and general elections, so it's seen as a contest that people look to for a signal of what's to come. 

What happened is that in a state has been controlled by and viewed as an important base for the PRI for 94 years, Morena’s Delfina Gómez won by a large margin of about nine points. So, this was a resounding Morena victory. 

Not only that but the PRI candidate was running in the Va Por México alliance, representing the PAN, PRI, PRD, and another smaller party. Observers are going to look at this election and they're going to say that, even when with the different opposition parties together, Morena still won this election, hands down. As such, Morena’s win is going to be seen as an important sign of strength ahead of next year's presidential vote.