Losing even when you win...

The PRI won nine of the twelve gubernatorial seats up for grabs in Sunday's elections. So, how is that a loss? They were expected to sweep all twelve. Instead, PAN-PRD coalitions eked out victories in Oaxaca, Puebla, and Sinaloa. The coalition triumphs are especially telling in the former two states, amongst Mexico's poorest and noted for their traditional politics.

Even though the PAN-PRD alliances did better than expected, the coalition candidates did not win in the three states the PAN and PRD governed going into the July 4 elections.