Another Mayoral Candidate Murdered in Veracruz—And People Are Terrified to Vote
Yesenia Lara Gutiérrez, a mayoral candidate from Mexico’s ruling Morena party, was gunned down Sunday in Texistepec, Veracruz. She was leading a caravan of supporters. According to the Associated Press, the shooting killed five people total, including Lara’s own daughter, and wounded three others.
The attack, which occurred just weeks before Mexico’s June 1 elections, marks the second assassination of a Morena mayoral candidate in Veracruz during this campaign cycle.
At a press conference Monday, Veracruz Governor Rocío Nahle called the violence “terrorism.” She said, “No [elected] position is worth dying for.” She promised they’d deploy “all of the state’s power” to ensure a free and democratic election.
Veracruz Voters In an Endless Cycle of Fear
Locals are rattled. At a wake in Texistepec on Monday, supporter Joaquín Fonseca told the AP, “We can’t continue with the insecurity, we’re tired of all of this, this is terrorism.” Another family friend, Cruz Morales, added, “We’re afraid to go into the fields, to go see our family in the evening, because we don’t know what’s going to happen to us on the way.”
Their fear isn’t misplaced. Lara’s husband, a local official, was also a victim in 2022. And according to El País, Lara was interacting with residents when attackers arrived on motorcycles and opened fire. Video from the aftermath shows chaos in the streets and victims lying motionless.
Veracruz Is a Flashpoint for Political Violence
The death of Lara Gutiérrez comes just two weeks after another Morena candidate, Germán Anuar Valencia, was killed at his campaign headquarters in Coxquihui, in northern Veracruz. That murder took place on the first official day of the campaign.
Violence against candidates is a growing concern in Mexico. According to data from NGO Data Cívica, the 2024 election season has already become one of the deadliest on record, with at least 34 candidates killed nationwide as of last summer. Many of them are municipal candidates—prime targets for organized crime, which seeks to influence local governments.
Where Do Voters Go From Here?
Elections in Veracruz are still scheduled for June 1 in all 212 municipalities. Governor Nahle said that 57 candidates have already requested government protection. It’s still unclear whether Lara had requested security before Sunday’s attack.
Meanwhile, the violence continues. Just hours after Lara’s assassination, two federal agents were reportedly killed in Boca del Río, another city in Veracruz. Photos from the scene show a heavy military and federal presence, though the state has yet to release an official toll.
As Veracruz reels from a wave of political killings, the question remains: Can elections really be free when people are afraid to participate?
