PAN Tamaulipas kicks off internal race as two rival slates vie for state leadership

The National Action Party (PAN) in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas opened its internal leadership contest on 5 June. For the first time the party will elect its state president and general secretary by a direct, secret ballot of its 9,816 active members. Two competing formulas are registered:

- Gloria Elena Garza Jiménez paired with César “El Truko” Verástegui Ostos, aiming to win the presidency and the secretary‑general post. Garza is a former magistrate and former state official, while Verástegui is a former federal deputy. - Omeheira López Reyna teamed with former state PAN president Francisco Garza de Coss. López is a former federal deputy and longtime party activist.

The election will determine who controls the party’s candidacies for the 2027 local elections and the 2028 gubernatorial race. The contest reflects a split within PAN’s state apparatus, with each slate backed by established factions that have vied for influence since 2022. The party, which governed Tamaulipas for six years, suffered a major defeat in the 2024 elections, retaining only 17 of 43 municipalities, while the ruling coalition of Morena and its allies captured the major urban centers. The new leadership will have a one‑year mandate to rebuild the party’s electoral fortunes amid ongoing legal proceedings against former governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, who remains abroad facing charges.