Imelda Castro, the woman who wants to rule the cartel battleground of Sinaloa

Twenty years ago, during one of his many tours across Mexico to campaign for the presidency, former Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador stopped his vehicle in the middle of a baseball game at Los Torres Stadium in El Fuerte, a town in northeastern Sinaloa. The Tabasco native, known for his love of the sport, surprised his entourage. “Stop, stop, stop!” he shouted, getting out and alerting his companions. Imelda Castro Castro, 57, now a senator with Morena — the political party founded by López Obrador — was part of that group.

She shares this story during her own tours around Sinaloa. The anecdote underscores the long political path that has brought the woman to her current bid to govern a state teetering on the edge of crisis. Sinaloa is a ticking time bomb that could explode in the hands of the government of President Claudia Sheinbaum at any moment. The senator is not a public heavyweight of Morena, at least not openly; nor does she seek to draw more attention than necessary. Castro, who was born in Sinaloa, moves forward quietly but with consistent effort, trying to earn the points that will place her in the front row in the race for the state governorship — a process that will begin well before the official timelines and will ultimately be decided by polls.

“It’s time for women” — the emblematic phrase that Sheinbaum used to celebrate her election as Mexico’s first female president is poised to be replicated in at least 10 of the 17 states that will hold gubernatorial elections in 2027. This is expected to apply to the candidates nominated by Morena, Mexico’s most powerful party, and its allies, the PVEM and PT. The political group is preparing an agreement to field female candidates in a dozen states for the 2027 midterm elections, including Sinaloa, according to sources close to Luisa María Alcalde, the party’s president. This opens the door for Castro, who is hoping to make history as the first female governor of Mexico’s most volatile state, the birthplace of major drug lords such as Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Castro is proceeding cautiously, without fanfare, without rushing; she carefully measures each step to avoid any misstep that could eliminate her prematurely from the race, a race she must first win in Morena’s internal selection process. The senator has declined an interview with EL PAÍS — the internal battle has begun, and tensions are rising among party insiders competing for the same goal and within the opposition. Any false move could have consequences for early campaign actions and her chances of being sidelined. Publicly, she has not explicitly acknowledged her ambition to govern the state she once toured alongside López Obrador. Privately, the senator has assembled a team to ensure she stays in the media spotlight, at least among Sinaloans.

A photo with Sheinbaum remains on Castro’s Instagram profile; the Morena senator has positioned herself close to the president, though not as closely as she was at one point to López Obrador. Her political career dates back to the now - defunct national Partido de la Revolución Democrática (Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD), where she met López Obrador and supported him until he left the PRD in 2012. The Sinaloan took five years to leave the PRD ranks and join Morena; she did so a year before the presidential election that brought López Obrador to victory in 2018 — a hesitation that he reportedly viewed unfavorably in several figures, Alejandro Encinas, his successor as head of the Mexico City government, being one example.

Castro has set her sights on governing one of the states most terrorized by drug cartels in northeastern Mexico. The politician is forging her path amidst a fierce and burgeoning internal battle to win the poll that would secure her the nomination of Morena, Mexico’s most powerful party, which currently enjoys a high level of popularity among voters. She is aiming to claim the prize of what is essentially a poisoned chalice: governing the most dangerous hotspot of insecurity for the Sheinbaum administration. Sinaloa is currently led by Rubén Rocha, a governor who has proven a challenge for the presidency due to the countless controversies he has faced.

The path ahead looks rocky. In the race for the candidacy, Teresa Guerra, president of the Sinaloa Congress, is also a contender — the governor Rocha’s pick, should the decision to nominate a woman be confirmed, effectively blocking Enrique Inzunza, who also holds a Senate seat and enjoys the governor’s full support to succeed him. Internal polls have already begun, and Castro’s allies say the results clearly place her in the lead.

The senator will also have to contend with the opposition. More than nine months before the electoral authorities officially signal the start of the race, Castro is already facing a couple of complaints for early campaigning filed by the Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party or PAN) and Movimiento Ciudadano (Citizens’ Movement or MC), which are expected to be resolved in the coming days.

For now, nothing is set in stone, but the race for succession in Sinaloa is a high-stakes battleground for Morena, where not just a battle but a full-blown dirty war has begun — one that allegedly involves linking rivals to drug cartels, at least according to sources close to the senator.

Castro has herself been associated, based solely on a photo showing her eating with him, with Gerardo Vargas Landeros, municipal president of Ahome, Sinaloa, who this year took leave from office to face investigations into alleged corruption involving the embezzlement of millions in public funds. This led to his removal from office and his being formally charged with abuse of authority and crimes committed by public officials. The former official has also been linked to El Mayo Zambada, who is currently in custody and facing trial in the United States.

These are just a few glimpses of what to expect in the coming months in the race for the candidacy in Sinaloa and 16 other states where governments will be renewed in 2027. Meanwhile, Castro is preparing to make her aspirations public in the first weeks of 2026, after the legal proceedings initiated against her by the State Electoral Institute for premature campaigning are resolved.

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