More than a year after assuming the mayorship of Tijuana, Ismael Burgueño Ruiz not only gains visibility: he begins to position himself as a central actor in the political dispute for the governorship of Baja California in 2027. His growth occurs at a key moment, where the succession of the current state administration begins to take shape and the internal groups of Morena begin to measure their forces. Burgueño takes advantage in Morena. A recent poll by Enkoll, a national scope, places him as the profile with the highest preference in the state, with a clear advantage over other relevant names in the local political environment. The study places Burgueño Ruiz with 31% of the preferences, which gives him a crushing advantage of 14 percentage points over his closest competitor, Senator Julieta Ramírez Padilla (17%). His position allows him to articulate with different groups, in a scenario where the definition of candidacies will depend on both citizen support and internal agreements. The fact of governing Tijuana—the most populous municipality and one of the most strategic in the country—grants him a key platform: territorial control, media exposure, and management capacity in a high-complexity environment in terms of security. In a scenario where the succession of Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda will begin to be defined in the coming months, the data points to Burgueño Ruiz starting with a structural advantage, both in citizen recognition and electoral viability. Internally, he also stands out as one of the best-evaluated profiles of the party, which reinforces his viability in a process where electoral competitiveness will be a determining factor for the definition of the candidacy. Morena leads electoral preferences. The state political environment, moreover, plays in his favor. Morena maintains a solid advantage over the opposition, which displaces the true competition to the interior of the party itself. 54% of those surveyed would vote for Morena if elections were held today, and additionally, 60% have a 'very good' opinion of the party. In third place is the former mayor of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, with 14%. Beyond the numbers, the relevant data is the distance: a double-digit difference that, in political terms, usually translates into narrative control and maneuvering margin. In that context, Burgueño Ruiz emerges not only as a competitive aspirant, but as a point of balance within Morena. Far below, the PAN registers 17% of effective preference, followed by Citizen's Movement with 12% and the PRI with 7%. Furthermore, rejection levels towards the opposition are significant: 66% have a negative opinion of the PRI, 58% maintain an unfavorable perception of the PAN. The dispute moves to the interior of power. With a weakened opposition and high levels of support for Morena, the focus of the succession in Baja California begins to concentrate on the internal dynamics of the party. In that board, Ismael Burgueño Ruiz appears as one of the profiles with the greatest growth margin, not only for his level of recognition, but for his ability to insert himself into the logic of negotiation and political control that will define the candidacy towards 2027.
