Quick Hit:

Claudia Sheinbaum makes history as the first woman and first Jewish president of Mexico, set to take office Tuesday. 

Key Details:

• Sheinbaum will be the first woman and first Jewish individual to serve as president of Mexico.
• A climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, she plans to address climate change and immigration policies.
• She will face the ongoing challenge of curbing Mexico's violent crime rates, an area where her predecessor struggled.

Diving Deeper:

On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum will take office as Mexico’s first female president. Her historic win also makes her the first Jewish individual to hold the country’s highest office.

Sheinbaum, 61, a former mayor of Mexico City and trained climate scientist, will have a unique opportunity to influence Mexico's future, particularly in areas such as climate change and immigration policy. With a degree in physics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and a PhD in energy engineering, Sheinbaum's scientific background positions her to implement evidence-based environmental policies, which could redefine Mexico’s approach to sustainability.

Born in 1962 in Mexico City, Sheinbaum’s roots are in science, with both parents working in the field. Her grandparents immigrated to Mexico from Lithuania and Bulgaria, escaping the turmoil in Europe. Sheinbaum met her husband, Jesús María Tarriba, during their university years, and the two reconnected and married in 2023. She has two children and one grandchild.

Her career in politics began in 2000 when Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), then mayor of Mexico City, appointed her as his environment secretary. In 2006, Sheinbaum joined the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), contributing to work that would later win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Sheinbaum's rise in politics continued, and she was elected mayor of Mexico City in 2018. During her presidential campaign, Sheinbaum pledged to pursue policies similar to those of AMLO, her mentor and predecessor. However, she has emphasized that she is her own person, with priorities that differ from AMLO's.

Taking office, Sheinbaum inherits significant challenges, including surging violence throughout Mexico—a problem AMLO's administration failed to curb. She will also navigate U.S.-Mexico relations, particularly on migration, and has vowed to work closely with the U.S. to address the root causes of the migration crisis.

"Claudia Sheinbaum presidenta electa"  by EneasMx licensed under CC BY 4.0 DEED.