“Drug cartels are paying attention to U.S. and Mexico politics,” written by Gladys McCormick, associate professor of history and Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations, was published in The Dallas Morning News.

“We are entering contentious electoral cycles on both sides of the border, with voters going to the ballot box in June 2024 in Mexico and November 2024 for the U.S. The scourge of drug trafficking and ineffective government responses to organized crime will figure prominently in stump speeches,” says McCormick.

“While some of the rhetoric may be reminiscent of the old-style war on drugs, there will also be differences,” she says. “The same organized criminal groups being attacked are paying attention to what the candidates are saying and proactively adjusting their tactics to stave off threats from politicians.”