Mexico's 2018 presidential election is already stoking concern north of the border. For months, populist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has led the polls for what promises to be a close presidential race. As a result, public and private sector officials in the United States have begun voicing their unease with the possibility of a sharp turn to the left in Mexico's security and economic policies if Lopez Obrador wins the vote. According to an April 10 report, for example, banking and investment leaders last week pressed Lopez Obrador to publicly present his economic policies to ensure that his presidency would not echo that of late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. And during an April 5 congressional hearing on homeland security, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Gen. John Kelly and Sen. John McCain both characterized a potential Lopez Obrador win as a negative outcome for the United States and Mexico. ...
