A new electoral force is capturing the imagination of the Mexican left: the National Regeneration Movement (Morena). Morena’s rise is generating equal parts enthusiasm and skepticism and generating debates about incrementalism and the role of social movements in elections. Many leftists hope that Morena will be the force to finally bring the Left to power in Mexico, while others remain skeptical of Morena and of electoral campaigns in general.

In the midterm elections this June 5, when twelve states chose governors and mayors and Mexico City elected a constitutional assembly, Morena had a modest but promising performance. Running on pledges to obstruct neoliberal structural reforms and defend the gains of the Mexican Revolution, Morena established itself as the primary political force in Mexico City and won control over several municipalities across the nation. In the state of Zacatecas, it became the second political force, and all around the country, Morena displaced the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) as the primary party of the Left.

Morena’s prospects for future elections are even better: early polls for the June 2018 presidential elections show Morena’s highly popular candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (often referred to by his initials as AMLO) as the clear front-runner. The three other major parties, each facing internal crises, are struggling to find viable candidates for the presidency.