1 00:00:01,233 --> 00:00:03,233 GEOFF BENNETT: Mexico made history yesterday, 2 00:00:03,233 --> 00:00:06,266 electing its first female president and first president of Jewish heritage. 3 00:00:06,266 --> 00:00:11,266 Claudia Sheinbaum won in a landslide, with more than 58 percent of the vote. She will 4 00:00:13,033 --> 00:00:15,666 face many challenges as president, including security, organized crime, 5 00:00:15,666 --> 00:00:20,500 immigration, and the continuing, at times tense, relationship with the U.S. 6 00:00:20,500 --> 00:00:25,266 Pamela Starr is a professor at the University of Southern California, and a senior adviser 7 00:00:25,266 --> 00:00:30,266 at Monarch Global Strategies. That's a business consultancy focused on Mexico and Latin America. 8 00:00:31,333 --> 00:00:33,633 Thanks so much for being with us. 9 00:00:33,633 --> 00:00:35,366 PAMELA STARR, University of Southern California: It's a pleasure to be with you this evening. 10 00:00:35,366 --> 00:00:36,666 GEOFF BENNETT: So how do you view the significance of this moment, 11 00:00:36,666 --> 00:00:38,633 Mexico electing its first female president? 12 00:00:38,633 --> 00:00:40,633 PAMELA STARR: I think it's enormously significant, 13 00:00:40,633 --> 00:00:45,300 especially for young women who are of Mexican heritage or living in Mexico. 14 00:00:47,466 --> 00:00:50,433 It's extraordinarily important to see someone in a position of importance that is the same 15 00:00:50,433 --> 00:00:55,400 gender of you. But at the same time, I don't suspect that Claudia Sheinbaum 16 00:00:57,333 --> 00:01:00,366 will be a feminist president, although she does self-identify as a feminist. 17 00:01:00,366 --> 00:01:05,300 She's a traditional leftist. And by that, I mean, she focuses on lifting up all of those 18 00:01:07,666 --> 00:01:11,633 who are in this lower socioeconomic strata and not focusing on individual minorities in society, or, 19 00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:17,833 in this case, women, who are the largest majority in Mexico, the largest segment of the population. 20 00:01:19,933 --> 00:01:22,866 I do, however, think she's going to put a little more attention into violence against women, 21 00:01:22,866 --> 00:01:27,233 which Lopez Obrador didn't, the former president didn't give much attention to, 22 00:01:27,233 --> 00:01:29,900 and potentially to things like day care and such. 23 00:01:29,900 --> 00:01:33,100 GEOFF BENNETT: Well, as we said, she won with a sweeping mandate, 24 00:01:33,100 --> 00:01:37,533 more than 58 percent of the vote. Why was she so successful? What was it about her, 25 00:01:37,533 --> 00:01:42,533 her background, her overall approach that seemed to resonate with the Mexican voting public? 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,033 PAMELA STARR: More than her, it's what she stands for. 27 00:01:46,033 --> 00:01:50,266 She was chosen by Lopez Obrador, handpicked to be his successor. The campaign was run as 28 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:57,466 a continuation of Lopez Obrador's presidency. As she said, she's going to build the second 29 00:01:59,533 --> 00:02:02,733 level on the transformation of Mexico that Lopez Obrador initiated. So it wasn't so 30 00:02:04,533 --> 00:02:07,833 much a vote for Claudia Sheinbaum as a vote for continuity in Mexican politics. 31 00:02:09,266 --> 00:02:11,200 GEOFF BENNETT: Let's return to the issue of violence, 32 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,400 because these elections in Mexico have been historic for another reason. They 33 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:18,200 have been the most violent. In the run-up to the elections, more than 30 candidates were 34 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,633 assassinated. Mexico has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. 35 00:02:22,633 --> 00:02:24,933 What is she aiming to do to address it? 36 00:02:24,933 --> 00:02:29,700 PAMELA STARR: Her overall proposal is try to adapt the strategies she implemented in Mexico 37 00:02:31,833 --> 00:02:34,933 City, which did significantly reduce crime and violence in the city, to a national situation. 38 00:02:38,133 --> 00:02:43,133 In Mexico City, she increased the wages and working conditions for the police. 39 00:02:45,066 --> 00:02:48,700 She used greater intelligence in police activities, and she more very carefully 40 00:02:50,733 --> 00:02:54,466 collaborated or guaranteed collaboration between law enforcement and the attorney 41 00:02:56,433 --> 00:02:58,900 general's office. She will try to do something similar at the federal level. 42 00:02:58,900 --> 00:03:03,866 That said, she's not going to return to civilian policing with regard to federal criminal problems, 43 00:03:07,066 --> 00:03:11,533 like organized crime. She's going to rely on the militarized National Guard, 44 00:03:11,533 --> 00:03:15,900 although she is going to try to expand its size, increase working conditions and wages, 45 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:20,300 and increase their use of intelligence and collaboration with the attorney general's office. 46 00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:23,233 GEOFF BENNETT: What about immigration, which is a major issue in this election? 47 00:03:23,233 --> 00:03:27,533 How does she plan to coordinate with the U.S., and has she articulated a plan for 48 00:03:27,533 --> 00:03:32,300 how to deal with the migrants who make their way through Mexico toward the U.S.? 49 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:36,400 PAMELA STARR: She didn't talk about -- much about foreign policy in the campaign. 50 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:41,400 Indeed, there was a debate segment that was focused on foreign policy, 51 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,500 and really none of the candidates spoke a great deal about foreign policy. 52 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:51,500 In terms of migration, I suspect she will continue Lopez Obrador's strategy of trying 53 00:03:53,566 --> 00:03:56,500 to cooperate with the United States while protecting Mexican sovereignty, knowing that 54 00:03:56,500 --> 00:04:01,466 cooperating with the United States generates the goodwill of the U.S. administration, and gives 55 00:04:03,633 --> 00:04:07,666 Mexico more freedom of action areas of greater importance to Mexico like domestic politics. 56 00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:11,733 GEOFF BENNETT: Pamela Starr, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate your insights. 57 00:04:11,733 --> 00:04:16,733 PAMELA STARR: It was my pleasure.