Mexico’s Judicial Candidates Turn to TikTok and Tinder in Unconventional Campaigns

Candidates were barred from purchasing advertisements on television, radio, billboards, or online. Mexico also prohibited them from receiving public funding or campaign contributions. Organizing nationwide debates proved to be challenging, if not impossible.

As a result, social media became the primary platform for judicial candidates across Mexico to connect with voters.

One widely shared video featured a Supreme Court hopeful claiming to be more prepared than a crunchy pork rind snack. Another candidate adopted the moniker “Dora, the Transformer,” a playful nod to the cartoon character Dora the Explorer. Meanwhile, a different Supreme Court candidate used dating apps to encourage potential voters to “match” with justice and engage in conversations about their proposals.

These stringent campaign limitations, which differ significantly from rules governing presidential or congressional elections, are part of Mexico’s inaugural judicial elections scheduled for Sunday. Voters will select approximately 2,700 federal and state judicial positions at various court levels, with federal seats such as those on the Supreme Court being elected nationally and many local officials chosen regionally.

Unlike other elections where political parties can finance their candidates’ campaigns, the ruling party sought to maintain a level playing field among candidates and reduce external influences on the campaigns.

Consequently, judicial hopefuls have had to rely on their own funds, operating under specific spending limits. This has led to grassroots, often exaggerated and sometimes humorous marketing efforts on social media aimed at capturing voter attention.