Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, Tijuana’s mayor on leave, has emphasized that the growth experienced by Morena in recent years makes it essential to preserve the core principles on which the movement was originally built on such as being close to the people, sustained grassroots organizing, and ongoing commitment to those who were long neglected.
During his recent tours across Baja California, Burgueño who is a candidate for the Coordination for the Defense of the Transformation and National Sovereignty, has stressed that safeguarding these principles will be critical to ensuring the continuity of the Fourth Transformation project.
In his view, the social advances achieved so far are a direct outcome of a governing model that has placed historically marginalized sectors at the forefront of public policy. Among these groups, he specifically highlighted seniors, women, students, local communities, and Indigenous peoples, all of whom now benefit from a social strategy focused in direct support and welfare programs.
For Burgueño, defending these results goes hand in hand with upholding the very principles that allowed the movement to evolve from neighborhood canvassing and community-level organization into the country’s dominant political force.
As part of his ongoing outreach efforts, Burgueño met with Tony, a founding member of Morena, with whom he reflected on the early years when militants and supporters first began organizing from the ground up. Their conversation served to revisit the experiences of that formative period and to reaffirm the importance of honoring those who participated early on, when the project was still taking shape through assemblies, community engagement, and direct citizen interaction.
Burgueño made clear that his objective for Baja California in the coming years is to remain faithful to a movement that stays close to its base, remains well-organized, and adheres to the principles that gave rise to the Fourth Transformation. He noted that the progress already achieved carries with it a responsibility for future phases of the project, and he pledged to continue championing social justice, prioritizing the most vulnerable populations, and preserving grassroots activism as a defining feature of Morena’s political identity.
