| Samuel García Sepúlveda | |
| Birthname: | Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda |
| Birth Date: | 28 December 1987 |
| Birth Place: | Monterrey, Nuevo León |
| Office: | Governor of Nuevo León |
| Term Start: | 4 December 2023 [1] |
| Predecessor: | (interim) |
| Term Start1: | 4 October 2021 |
| Term End1: | 1 December 2023 |
| Predecessor1: | Jaime Rodríguez Calderón |
| Successor1: | (interim)[2] |
| Term Start2: | 1 September 2018 |
| Term End2: | 18 November 2020 |
| Predecessor2: | Marcela Guerra Castillo |
| Office3: | Member of the Congress of Nuevo León Plurinominal |
| Term Start3: | 1 September 2015 |
| Term End3: | 31 August 2018 |
| Education: | Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (LLB, LLM, PhD) Autonomous University of Nuevo León (SJD) ITAC University (SJD) |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Party: | Citizens' Movement (2015–present) |
| Children: | 1 |
| Signature: | Samuel Garcia Sepulveda signature.svg |
| Office2: | Senator of the Republic from Nuevo León |
Samuel Alejandro García Sepúlveda (born 28 December 1987) is a Mexican lawyer and politician serving as the Governor of Nuevo León. A member of the Citizens' Movement party, he served as a local deputy in the Congress of Nuevo León from 2015 to 2018 and represented Nuevo León in the Senate from 2018 to 2020.[3] [4] [5]
Born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, García has an extensive academic background, holding three doctoral degrees: one in public policy and public administration from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), in tax law from ITAC University, and in constitutional law and governance from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL). He has authored three books and taught tax law at UANL.
García was elected governor of Nuevo León in 2021, defeating the Institutional Revolutionary Party nominee, Adrián de la Garza, by 10.21%. As governor, he has focused on boosting foreign investment through nearshoring, expanded the Metrorrey network, and oversaw the Nuevo León water crisis.
In 2023, García secured the Citizens' Movement presidential nomination for the 2024 election, but withdrew amidst a political crisis over the appointment of an interim governor in Nuevo León.
García was born on 28 December 1987 in Monterrey, Nuevo León to Samuel Orlando García Mascorro and Bertha Silvia Sepúlveda Andrade. His father was from Guardados de Abajo, Tamaulipas, who moved to Nuevo León to study law at the age of 14, eventually becoming a lawyer and prosecutor.[6]
García hosted a children's newscast on Canal 28 Nuevo León, a state-owned TV channel, where he conducted interviews and would conclude the program with readings on religious topics, taken from his mother's books.
García completed his secondary education at Colegio San Patricio Monterrey from 1999 to 2002 and continued at Prepa Tec from 2002 to 2005. Following this, he enrolled at ITESM, obtaining a B.A. in law and finance in 2010, followed by a master's degree in public law in 2012. As a high school and undergraduate student at ITESM, he frequently participated as a speaker.
García obtained his first Ph.D. in public policy and public administration from ITESM in 2014.[7] His dissertation, Fiscal Federalism in Mexico, received an honorable mention and was published as a book in 2016. Subsequently, he earned a second Ph.D. in tax law from ITAC University in 2019. In 2022, he achieved his third Ph.D. in constitutional law and governance from UANL.[8] His dissertation, titled Local Constitutions in Mexico and the Realization of Federative Entities' Autonomy: A Special Focus on the Nuevo León Case,[9] delves into how federalism in Mexico has been eroding due to the centralized system of national politics.[10]
In 2014, García joined Rescatemos Nuevo León,[11] an organization which allowed him to run for a local congressional seat through proportional representation.
Despite his loss to Marcelo Martínez Villarreal in the race for the 18th district seat during the 2015 Nuevo León state election, García successfully secured a congressional seat through proportional representation.
While he was a state deputy, he was named the parliamentary coordinator of Citizens' Movement in the Congress of Nuevo León. As part of his campaign, García pledged to donate his salary, a promise he fulfilled by donating to Un solo San Pedro.[12]
In 2017, he assumed provisional leadership of the Citizens' Movement party in the state of Nuevo León, succeeding . He held this position until 2 August 2019, when Agustín Basave Alanís was elected as the state's party leader.[13]
In the 2018 Mexican general election, Samuel García and Indira Kempis Martínez were nominated by Citizens' Movement to represent Nuevo León in the Senate, with García occupying the first place on the party's two-name formula.[14] They were successfully elected, obtaining 24.21% of the vote, beating the National Action Party's candidates, Víctor Oswaldo Fuentes Solís and Alejandra Maria Sada Alanis, by only 15,131 votes.[15]
At the age of 30, García became one of the youngest senators of the LXIV legislature, only being surpassed by Raúl Bolaños Cacho Cué of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) at 30 years old, and by Citlalli Hernández and Claudia Balderas Espinoza of MORENA, who were 28 and 26 years old respectively.
In October 2018, he travelled to The Hague as part of the Mexican Senate's appeal against the former governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte de Ochoa, on charges of crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. The Mexican Senate accused Duarte of orchestrating the distribution of 70,000 counterfeit HIV tests and fraudulent treatments to children with cancer during his administration.[16] In October 2019, he filed a report with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of the Attorney General's Office (FGR) against the then governor of Nuevo León, Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, alleging crimes such as money laundering and misappropriation of resources. He asserted that he possessed substantial evidence, referencing four judgments from the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) that purportedly implicated Jaime Rodríguez Calderón in these illicit activities.[17]
According to García, he was the second most productive senator, having introduced 370 bills and points of agreement, in addition to making 119 speeches in the chamber.[18]
On 17 November 2020, he sought temporary leave from his senatorial seat to pursue the governorship of Nuevo León in the 2021 gubernatorial elections. During his absence, assumed his role.[19]
For the LXIV Legislature of the Mexican Congress:
On 15 November 2020, Citizens' Movement announced that García and local deputy Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas were seeking the party's gubernatorial nomination.[20] On 25 January 2021, Colosio dropped out and declared his candidacy for the municipal president of Monterrey, leaving García as the only gubernatorial precandidate.[21] On 18 February 2021, García's candidacy became officially registered with the State Electoral Commission (CEE).[22]
On 5 March 2021, García kicked off his campaign at a conference where he unveiled proposals for a new tax agreement, a new vaccination plan funded with private investment, a new public transport system, a new infrastructure program, an intensified fight against corruption, and a new regional airport hub. He positioned himself as an incorruptible politician, emphasizing his lack of ties to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and having donated his salary for six years. His campaign motto was "Arrancar la vieja política de Nuevo León" (in English: "Eliminate the old politics of Nuevo León").[23]
García frequently attacked Adrián de la Garza (PRI) and (MORENA), claiming that both candidates embodied "the old politics of the PRI". He used the video of Clara Luz Flores with NXIVM's Keith Raniere to further his point, questioning, "between Clara Luz and Adrián de la Garza, who of the two has the most criminal, evil, and perverse godfather? Which of the two has done and will do more damage to Nuevo León?".[24] During his campaign, García faced criticism from his past comments which were perceived as "out of touch" with voters. These included him describing his childhood as challenging because his father forced him to play golf and by claiming people could live on a "small salary of $50,000 pesos", despite most Mexicans earning significantly less than $7,500 pesos per month.[25] [26] [27]
García's campaign gained momentum through his wife's social media presence. Mariana Rodríguez Cantú, a well-known influencer with a following of over 1.7 million followers on Instagram, inadvertently viralized the campaign in a video where she showcased her orange sneakers and described them as, "Fosfo, fosfo", which was subsequently adopted as a slogan by García's campaign and the Citizens' Movement party.[28] [29]
On 6 June 2021, García was elected to a six-year term as the Governor of Nuevo León with 36.71% of the vote, defeating six other candidates. He became the first Citizens' Movement candidate to be elected governor in Nuevo León.[30]
García was sworn in as the governor of Nuevo León on October 4, 2021.
Taking advantage of industrial firms seeking to move their supply chains from China to Mexico, García has spearheaded the nearshoring trend, with the governor frequently traveling abroad to negotiate with business leaders.[31] Notable investors in the state include Bosch, Lego, Siemens, LGMG, and John Deere.[32] [33] Tesla also agreed to build a gigafactory in the state by 2026 following negotiations between García and CEO Elon Musk.[34] [35]
The state broke foreign direct investment records in both 2022 and 2023, reaching $4.5 billion in 2023 alone.[36]
García attended COP26, where he announced that he would introduce environmental taxes to create a green fund for reforestation.[37] [38] García included four types of environmental taxes in the 2022 budget: on contamination from stone material extraction, and on pollutant emissions into the atmosphere, water, and soil.[39]
In March 2023, García's administration launched the "Bosques Ciudadanos" initiative, which aimed to plant one million trees by the end of his tenure.[40] By June 2023, 10,600 trees had been planted.[41]
Between 2023 and 2024, due to deteriorating air quality, the state activated an environmental alert a total of eleven times.[42]
García faced criticism for the deforestation of parts of the, which he defended as a preventive measure against potential hurricane-induced flooding;[43] [44] the project was halted due to opposition.[45] Additionally, the use of the funds collected from the state's environmental taxes has been criticized by environmentalists, who demanded more transparency after the state's Secretary of Environment revealed that some funds had been allocated to address water issues.[46]
García unveiled an expansion of the Metrorrey network –Lines 4, 5, and 6– each designed as a monorail system on an elevated viaduct.[47] Amidst pushback from many in south Monterrey, who preferred an underground system,[48] Line 5 was changed to an Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system, which would operate at ground level with some elevated sections.[49] [50] In early 2023, construction for Lines 4 and 6 were started.[51] [52]
García's administration also invested in the system's older lines: the elevated portions of Line 2 underwent reconstruction due to design flaws in the construction of the capitals and beams,[53] [54] the Talleres metro station was announced to be extended and renovated to increase capacity and to accommodate longer trains,[55] and twenty-two new rail cars for Line 1 were ordered to replace the oldest vehicles.[56]
García proposed his Master Road Plan, which aimed to enhance state connectivity and facilitate direct access to the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge.[57] Key projects included the phased reconstruction of Uno Norte highway,[58] the completion of the Gloria-Columbia highway,[59] and a 45-kilometer extension of the Periférico highway.[60]
In 2024, the Interserrana Highway, a part of Garcia's Master Road Plan designed to link Mexican Federal Highways 85 and 57, was presented to President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who agreed to elevate the project to the federal level.[61]
García continued the construction of Liberty dam started by his predecessor in early 2020, which was 25% complete by García's inauguration in October 2021.[62] [63] [64] In July 2023, García closed the dam's gates, and by April 2024, began extracting water for use in the Monterrey metropolitan area.[65]
In 2023, García proposed the El Cuchillo II aqueduct, funded publicly and privately at MXN $12.24 billion, in order to transport more water from the El Cuchillo reservoir to the Monterrey metropolitan area. In late 2023, García and Andrés Manuel López Obrador inaugurated the aqueduct in two phases, with a capacity to transport up to 5,000 liters per second.[66] [67] [68]
In early April 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced heightened inspections of commercial trucks entering from Mexico,[69] causing significant traffic delays at the border. García met with Abbott and signed an agreement, committing to increasing security and establishing checkpoints on the Nuevo León side,[70] which halted inspections at the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge.[71]
In September 2023, with guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, García inaugurated a new checkpoint at the border, fulfilling his commitments from the agreement with Abbott.[72] Recognizing the increased demand due to nearshoring, García initiated plans to expand the Laredo–Colombia Solidarity International Bridge by adding more lanes to accommodate the growing number of trucks.[73]
In March 2022, in response to the low water levels in Nuevo León's three main reservoirs, García's administration implemented the "Agua para todos" (in English: "Water for everyone") water rationing program, which divided the Monterrey metropolitan area into seven zones, each with distinct water supply schedules.[74] However, protests and blockades erupted in various parts of the metropolitan area, as demonstrators claimed that there was an unequal distribution of water, with some areas experiencing water shortages lasting several weeks.[75]
García started cloud seeding with silver iodide in order to increase the chances of rainfall over the state's main reservoirs.[76] [77] Between June 2022 and December 2023, 161 flights were conducted at a cost of MXN $135 million. Some commentators labeled the effort ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money, pointing out that on some days, there was little to no rainfall after the cloud seeding.[78] [79]
García often expressed dissatisfaction with social media criticism regarding the alleged mismanagement of water distribution, dismissing the situation and emphasizing that water supply issues were beyond the scope of his gubernatorial responsibilities.[80]
On 17 June 2024, García warned residents of an approaching tropical cyclone, urging caution for those near rivers and reservoirs and noting potential dam floodgate openings.[81] He canceled classes from June 19 to 21 and moved the school year's end date up to 28 June.[82] During the storm, García urged residents to stay home and issued an executive order on the night of 19 June suspending public transport and movement until the next day.[83]
On 25 June, García declared a state of emergency for Nuevo León to secure federal reconstruction funds, estimating the damages at around MXN $1.5 billion, primarily in Santiago and Cadereyta Jiménez.[84] On 27 June, he met with President López Obrador and Rogelio Ramírez de la O to request the reconstruction funds.[85] Portions of Morones Prieto and Constitución, two avenues parallel to the, were closed due to erosion damage and were scheduled to reopen by the start of the next school year.[86]
The LXXVI Legislature of the Congress of Nuevo León, elected in the 2021 local elections, resulted in a supermajority opposition consisting of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and the National Action Party.
Initially, García's relationship with the Congress was stable, with the legislature approving his 2022 budget and ratifying the new state constitution.[87] [88] However, tensions emerged following the resignation of State Attorney General Gustavo Adolfo Guerrero. When the congress submitted four finalists for Guerrero's successor, including former Monterrey mayor Adrián de la Garza, García disagreed with all the candidates and vetoed de la Garza.[89] García appealed the finalist list to the Supreme Court, citing irregularities in the selection process and halting the appointment process.[90]
Tensions escalated when García withheld the 2023 budget, accusing the opposition of planning to divert funds to certain municipalities.[91] The state congress responded by initiating impeachment proceedings against him,[92] but García obtained an amparo, temporarily blocking the process.[93]
To curb the executive branch's power, the congress passed amendments removing the governor's veto over attorney general appointments, enabling the dismissal of the cabinet by legislative censure, transferring control of the Public Defender's office to the judiciary, and requiring legislative approval for the governor's absences from the state. García refused to publish these amendments, but the Supreme Court ordered their publication,[94] which he refused to comply with.[95]
In October 2023, García requested a six-month leave of absence, effective 2 December, to pursue a bid in the 2024 presidential election, suggesting as his interim replacement. While the state congress approved his leave, they appointed Arturo Salinas Garza, President of the Superior Court of Justice of Nuevo León, as interim governor instead.[96] García appealed, leading the Supreme Court to annul the decision.[97] Despite disruptions by García's supporters,[98] the state congress appointed, Deputy Attorney General, as interim governor, a move upheld by the Supreme Court.[99] [100] On December 2, as his leave took effect, García withdrew from the presidential race and claimed the governorship, arguing he had not actually used his leave.[101] [102] A brief constitutional crisis ensued,[103] with both García and Orozco claiming the governorship until Orozco resigned on 4 December.[104]
In the final months of the LXXVI Legislature, the Supreme Court invalidated the attorney general finalist list and ordered a new selection process with mandatory criminal background checks.[105] The court also allowed the impeachment trial of García to proceed.[106] While the congress vowed to select a new attorney general and impeach García before their term ended, García delayed the impeachment with a Supreme Court ruling,[107] and the executive branch withheld the required background checks,[108] further stalling the attorney general selection process.
García claims that Mexico's federal funding favors southern states despite northern states, like Nuevo León, contributing more to the treasury, controversially stating that "in Mexico, in the north, we work, in the center, they administer, and in the south, they rest". According to García, Mexico allocates money based on population, deprivation, and poverty, whereas in the rest of the world, it is typically done based on efficiency, GDP, productivity, and foreign trade.[109]
García has expressed that he is not opposed to the legalization of marijuana, and has also expressed support for same-sex marriage, stating that "legal precedent recognizes and affirms their right."[110]
As senator, García supported abortion, stating that "it's a complex issue, and I believe that a woman's right to decide should weigh more heavily." However, as governor of Nuevo León, García expressed opposition to it, urging the Congress of Nuevo León to reintroduce a previously removed paragraph to the state's constitution that acknowledged the beginning of life from conception.[111]
He has criticized the political right, saying: "I believe that the political right or center-right seeks to achieve merit but at the expense of the most disadvantaged."
In June 2020, he was accused of falsifying the documentation accrediting the Doctorate in Tax Law he obtained at ITAC University, a private educational center in the city of Monterrey.[112] [113] Samuel García had shared photographs of his postgraduate degree and a certificate of honorable mention on the social network Instagram, but several users later pointed out the inconsistency of the ITAC University rector's signatures on both documents and the similarity of one of these with the signature of the vice-rector of the same institution. In his defense, Samuel García published a video in which he argued that the discrepancy was presented by an unofficial document, that he had completed his doctorate in due time and form, and that the person who had signed this document was, in fact, the vice-rector, since the rector was on sick leave. Subsequently, local media Info7 reported that ITAC University had ceased to function and that its facilities were abandoned.[114] [115] [116]
On August 9, 2020, Samuel García, during an Instagram Live told his wife Mariana Rodríguez: "Turn up the camera, you're showing too much leg. I married you for me, not for you to go around showing".[117] [118] Many women in protest uploaded photos showing their legs on Twitter using the hashtag #YoEnseñoLoQueQuiera.[119] [120] [121] García later apologized and affirmed that it was only a macho joke.[122]
García is the eldest of three siblings: Silvia Catalina, Cecilia, and Roberto.[123] Additionally, he has an older half-brother, Samuel Orlando García Villarreal, from his father's previous relationship. He is related to Gilberto García Mena, a former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel known as "El June," who is his father's cousin.[124]
Samuel García started dating social media influencer Mariana Rodríguez Cantú in 2015, and were married on 27 March 2020 in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Monterrey.[125] In May 2020, the couple announced that Rodríguez had experienced a miscarriage.[126] They have one daughter, Mariel, born on 10 March 2023.