Eruviel Ávila with thinly veiled reference: "I am from Mexico State"

Candidate-designate Eruviel Ávila declared that "Yo sí soy del Estado de México," or "I am from Mexico state," with emphasis on "I" here. It is a barely veiled reference to his possible opponent Alejandro Encinas, who may, should he compete with Ávila for the governorship, will very likely soon find his required residency in Mexico State questioned by the PRI.

Jesús Ortega: A refreshingly candid interview

H/T to Gancho: Milenio Semanal's interview with Jesús Ortega is very well worth a read. Ortega has always been among the more clear-spoken of PRD's elites; here, the now ex-president lays very clear his views of the PRD and of its conflict with AMLO. Read it and tell me if you still think, as does AMLO, that this is a "traitor" and a mere entreguista.

Jesús "tragabalas" Zambrano: The story of how he got shot

As is often noted, PRD's new leader Jesús Zambrano has a past in armed guerrillas, although he is now a leading member of the social-democratic Nueva Izquierda faction in the PRD. There are many myths surrounding Zambrano; here he himself finally recounts how he earned his nickname tragabalas, from the day in 1974 when he got shot in the jaw, was captured, and would spend years in prison.

SME offers to back Peña Nieto with "200,000" votes

As said by Eduardo Bobadilla, a member of the SME leadership, "Peña wants votes; we want a new company."

Despite hailed by AMLO and parts of the left as something akin to a glorious proletarian vanguard, the SME electricians union is openly negotiating with Enrique Peña Nieto to back the PRI candidate in Mexico State the coming July 3rd - around a third of SME's remaining members hail from Mexico State, and these 5,000 workers claim to be able to conjure 200,000 for the PRI's candidates.

Having essentially betrayed their earlier backers (AMLO, PRD, Ebrard, etc), my hunch is that the SME will in turn be used and discarded by the PRI as soon as the elections are over. 

Grand Theft Auto in Zacatecas: Close collaborator of Amalia García arrested

Strange days in Zacatecas. Sonia Villarreal, a close collaborator of former governor Amalia García, was arrested on charges of auto theft, as a property apparently belonging to her was full of stolen vehicles, as well as 150 rollaway beds (!) belonging to the DIF state social assistance agency.

The name Sonia Villarreal rang a bell to me, and after checking my notes I realized that I spoke with her on 3-4 occasions when I in vain sought to gain a personal interview with then-Governor García - Villareal was in charge of her agenda, apparently. While knowing nothing of her possible guilt or innocence, I did think to myself, funny how life goes.