Luisa María Calderón

Luisa María de Guadalupe Calderón Hinojosa (born October 23, 1956 in Mexico City) is a Mexican politician affiliated to the National Action Party who served in the Senate of Mexico from 2000 until September 2006. She is currently senator-elect as a PAN proportional representative. Her term in the senate began in late 2012 and will continue through 2018. "Cocoa" (her nickname) is known as a champion for women and minority rights throughout Mexico.

Personal life

Luisa María belongs to a family of prominent Mexican politicians. She is the sister of President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and Juan Luis Calderón Hinojosa.

She studied psychology at the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, and has pursued graduate studies at the Universidad Iberoamericana.

Luisa María is a single mother.

Political career

Calderón joined the National Action Party in 1976. She served as a local deputy in the Congress of Michoacán from 1983 to 1986 and served in the federal Chamber of Deputies during the LIV Legislature. In 2000 she was elected via proportional representation to serve as a Senator during the LVIII Legislature and the LIX Legislature.

2011 Michoacan gubernatorial race

In 2011, Luisa Calderón ran for Governor of Michoacan in a highly contested race. Although she lost, the election was marred with accusations of corruption by the PRI and intimidation by narco-affiliated criminals. She was the candidate of the PAN-PANAL coalition. Calderón narrowly lost against PRI candidate Fausto Vallejo Y Figueroa by less that 3 percent of the votes She had led most opinion polls prior to the election, which was held on November 13, 2011. Vallejo received 35% of the vote, while Calderon won 33% for second place. Calderón, who led most opinion polls prior to the election, claimed that drug traffickers based in Michoacán helped tip the election in Vallejo's favor.