Mexican President Says Motive Still Unclear in Killing Of Mayoral Candidate During Rally

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday she is in contact with state officials and that investigations into the killing of mayoral candidate Yesenia Lara, gunned down during a campaign rally, are ongoing.

Lara, a candidate for mayor of Texistepec, a small community in eastern Veracruz, was killed on Saturday during a campaign event. Three of her supporters died during the attack too.

Speaking at her daily news conference, Sheinbaum said she had no new information about the motives behind the attack but confirmed that federal officials remain in constant communication with Veracruz Gov. Rocío Nahle.

"We don't know the reason behind it, but I have asked my security Cabinet to stay in touch with the governor, and, if necessary, with the Veracruz Attorney General's Office," Sheinbaum said.

Videos of the incident show people fleeing as gunshots rang out at the rally, which included motorcycle and taxi caravans and supporters carrying political party flags. Three of Lara's supporters were killed, and three others were wounded during the attack.

In a post on X, Nahle condemned the attack saying "no political position is worth a person's life" and promised to find those responsible of the "cowardly murders of the candidate and Morena supporters in Texistepec," adding that she instructed state security officials to not stop until they find them.

Lara is the second candidate killed this year during Veracruz's electoral campaign. In April, another candidate from Morena, Mexico's ruling party, was attacked in the municipality of Coxquihui.

The attack on Lara and her supporters is part of a broader pattern of violence against politicians in Veracruz and across the country.

Just last week, a municipal councilwoman in Teocaltiche, Jalisco, was shot and killed by three armed individuals. The town has seen repeated attacks on public officials.

In late April, Teocaltiche City Council Secretary José Luis Pereida was fatally shot outside a seafood restaurant near the city center, allegedly by cartel gunmen. Last month, two law enforcement officers — including the town's police chief — were killed by suspected criminal groups. In February, eight additional officers went missing under similar circumstances.

Elsewhere in Mexico, Chilpancingo Mayor Alejandro Arcos was decapitated in October 2024 in an attack allegedly orchestrated by criminal groups. His murder came shortly after the city's government secretary, Francisco Tapia, was also shot by suspected cartel members.