Claudia Sheinbaum praises Mexican-origin politicians’ U.S. midterm victories, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico City): Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday highlighted the victories of two politicians of Mexican origin in the U.S. midterm elections: Xavier Becerra in California and Gina Hinojosa in Texas.
She said the results, which dealt a strong defeat to President Donald Trump’s Republican Party, reflect a sentiment among the American people.
“I think it shows a sentiment of the American people. And I would like to highlight the triumph of two people of Mexican origin, who are the governor-elect of California and the governor-elect of Texas,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference.
Sheinbaum noted that both politicians have family ties to Mexico. She said both have parents or a parent born in Mexico, and that they have a connection to their states as well as to Mexicans.
She added that she was pleased to see Mexican Americans achieve this recognition and political participation.
The remarks follow Democrats’ recapture of control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress in an election that also produced historic results for minorities.
In California, Democrat Xavier Becerra, son of Mexican immigrants and former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden (2021-2025), defeated Republican Steve Hilton and will become the first Latino governor of the state in more than 150 years.
Becerra, 68, will succeed Democrat Gavin Newsom as head of the most populous state in the United States, where the Latino community makes up more than 40% of the population.
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who was seeking a fourth consecutive term. With this result, she became the first woman and the first person of Latino origin elected to govern that border state with Mexico.
Her victory ended more than three decades of Republican governments in Texas, one of the main conservative strongholds in the United States.
Asked about the possible repercussions of the election results for the bilateral relationship, Sheinbaum declined to predict whether pressure from Washington on Mexico would increase or decrease and asked for patience. “We, regardless of the election result, as you know, always seek the best relationship with the United States, always guaranteeing respect for our sovereignty, territorial integrity and collaboration without subordination,” she said.
The president said this position guides the bilateral relationship on trade and security matters, and that talks with Washington on trade issues continue normally.
