In the middle of last month, the interrogation of the mayor of Matamoros in the United States caused a stir in Tamaulipas politics and raised concerns for the Morena governor, Américo Villarreal, about the potential consolidation of an accusation against him in the neighboring country. This situation has prompted the governor to show a more cordial attitude towards the mayor of Nuevo Laredo, the also Morena member Carmen Lilia Canturosas.
In recent days, Villarreal has met with the mayor, praising her water plan and supporting her initiative to inaugurate a customs agency at the border. Canturosas has played an important role in the Federal Government's Northern Border Operation and has established ties with officials from the state of Texas, a stronghold of the Republican Party and Donald Trump's electoral base.
Canturosas seeks to position herself to compete for Américo's succession in 2027 and is using her connections in the United States to avoid being sidelined by the governor in favor of Senator Olga Sosa, from the so-called Carmona Group. Another option under consideration is the senator from the Green Party, Maki Ortiz, backed by the head of the SEP Mario Delgado, who is also being investigated in the United States for financing Morena's campaigns in 2021.
Although he does not express it openly, the investigations against Delgado could be the reason he has not been appointed Secretary of the Interior. Given these possibilities, Canturosas seeks to position herself as an alternative that helps Américo avoid greater tensions with the United States.
