On June 1st, voters in Veracruz and Durango cast their ballots for mayors, shadowed by judicial elections that stole the spotlight. The day was marked by surprises, multiple allegations, and modest voter turnout. Morena claimed victory in the Port of Veracruz and Gómez Palacio, while the opposition showed strength in Durango's capital and possibly in Boca del Río, where the race against Acción Nacional was tight as midnight approached.

Although final results are pending, the election offers various insights, most notably the stagnation of the guinda party in Veracruz, with little growth compared to the 2021 municipal elections. Their significant achievement in the state is the conquest of the Port, traditionally controlled by the Yunes family and the PAN, and their dominance in Xalapa, the capital, along with major southern cities like Coatzacoalcos and Minatitlán. However, they suffered a loss in Poza Rica in the north, overtaken by Movimiento Ciudadano.

In Durango, it's surprising how little fight the guinda party put up in the capital, where their candidate, José Ramón Enríquez, finished third, trailing the winner, José Antonio Ochoa from the PAN-PRI coalition, by nearly 30 points, and even behind Francisco Franco of Movimiento Ciudadano, who secured second place. While Morena succeeded in Gómez Palacio, the state's second largest city, they fell short in Lerdo, the third largest.

Despite not being overly tense, the day was eventful in Durango, where Morena reported "acts of violence, intimidation, and repression" against its members in Lerdo, in the Lagunera region near Coahuila. The guinda party labeled the elections, overseen by the PRI, as "state elections" and demanded investigation into the harassment, particularly the "arbitrary detention" of their campaign coordinator, Flora Isela Leal. At midnight, Leal was trailing the PRI-PAN candidate by nearly 20 points.

In both Veracruz and Durango, Movimiento Ciudadano surprised by gaining ground at the expense of the PAN and especially the PRI. "We are emerging as Mexico's second force, the new choice. PRI, PAN, Morena continue to represent the old politics," declared the party leader, Jorge Álvarez Maynez, in a social media post. In the Gulf state, with 15% of votes yet to be counted, the party nearly doubled its 2021 results. A similar story unfolded in Durango.