This article explains how the fight against narco-trafficking and the economic crisis has affected the PAN’s popularity at the polls, and the voters’ image of the president’s leadership ability. It also reviews the central reforms undertaken by president Calderón in 2008, including the overhaul of the judicial system, a minor reform of the public energy sector, and a new set of rules to modernize public education. It then examines internal dynamics of the divided PRD and resurging electoral fortunes of the PRI in many states.