The Economy, Security, and Corruption in the 2018 Presidential Election Campaign Issues and Electoral Preferences in Mexico

Throughout Enrique Pena Nieto's administration and during the 2018 presidential campaign, three problems stood out among the Mexican electorate: the limited economic growth, a sustained increase in violence, and multiple corruption scandals. Therefore, based on the CIDE-CSES 2018 National Electoral Study, we analyze the simultaneous effects of individual evaluations of the economy, violence and corruption on electoral preferences. Our findings indicate the prevalence of a retrospective economic vote that coexists with a security vote, but without clear support from crime victims. Although corruption was widely discussed during the electoral campaign, this issue did not play a major role in voter preferences.