Jaime Rodríguez Calderón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jaime Rodríguez Calderón
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Rodríguez Calderón in 2015
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| Governor of Nuevo León | |
| In office 2 July 2018 – 3 October 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Manuel Florentino González Flores (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Samuel García Sepúlveda |
| In office 4 October 2015 – 31 December 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Florentino González Flores (interim) |
| Mayor of García | |
| In office 1 November 2009 – 31 October 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Guadalupe Alejandra Valadez Arrambide |
| Succeeded by | Jesus Hernández Martínez |
| Member of the Congress of Nuevo León from the 10th district |
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| In office 1 November 1997 – 31 October 2000 |
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| Succeeded by | Armando Ramírez Anguiano |
| Member of the Congress of the Union from Nuevo León's 5th district |
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| In office 1 November 1991 – 31 October 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Eleazar Bazaldúa Bazaldúa |
| Succeeded by | Jesús Siller Rojas |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez Calderón
28 December 1957 Ejido Pablillo, Nuevo León, Mexico |
| Political party | Independent (2014–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Institutional Revolutionary Party (1980–2014) |
| Spouses |
Adalina Dávalos Martínez
(m. 2006) |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon (BS) |
Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez Calderón (born 28 December 1957) is a Mexican politician. People often call him by his nickname, "El Bronco". He served as the Governor of Nuevo León from 2015 to 2021. He also ran for president in the 2018 presidential election.
Jaime Rodríguez was born in Ejido Pablillo, Galeana, Nuevo León. He studied agricultural engineering at the UANL university. In 1980, he joined a political group called the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He worked as a federal deputy from 1991 to 1994. Later, he was a local deputy from 1997 to 2000. He also served as the mayor of García, Nuevo León from 2009 to 2012. As mayor, he was known for his strong efforts to fight crime.
In 2014, Rodríguez left the PRI. He decided to run for governor of Nuevo León as an independent candidate. This meant he was not part of any major political party. In the 2015 election, he won about half of the votes. He became the first independent candidate to win a governorship in Mexico.
In 2017, he took a break from being governor. He wanted to run as an independent candidate for president in the 2018 election. He did not win, getting about 5% of the votes. Andrés Manuel López Obrador won that election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez Calderón was born on 28 December 1957. His hometown was Ejido Pablillo, a small place in Galeana, Nuevo León. He was the fourth of ten children. His parents, Rodulfo Rodríguez and Basilisa Calderón, were farmers.
He went to primary school at Escuadrón 201 in Ejido Pablillo. For secondary school, he attended Miguel Hidalgo in Galeana. He then went to high school at Preparatoria 4 of the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (UANL). Rodríguez studied agricultural engineering at UANL and finished his degree in 1982.
While at university, he led a student protest. They were upset about higher public transportation costs. The protest worked! The governor, Alfonso Martínez Domínguez, created a special travel discount for students.
Political Career
Early Roles
In 1980, Jaime Rodríguez joined the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). This was a major political party in Mexico. During Jorge Treviño Martínez's time as governor, Rodríguez managed the state's forestry program. In 1990, he became a leader in the youth division of a farmers' group.
The PRI chose Rodríguez to run for a seat in the Congress of the Union. He represented the 5th district of Nuevo León. He won the election in 1991. He served as a federal deputy from November 1, 1991, to October 31, 1994.
Later, Rodríguez was elected as a local deputy. He represented the PRI in the Congress of Nuevo León. He served for the state's 10th district from November 1, 1997, to October 31, 2000.
In 2000, he ran for mayor of Guadalupe, Nuevo León. He was the PRI candidate. However, he lost to the candidate from the National Action Party.
Mayor of García
In 2009, Jaime Rodríguez ran for mayor of García, Nuevo León. He was the candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party. He won the election with 46.2% of the votes. He served as mayor from November 1, 2009, to October 31, 2012.
Soon after he became mayor, his Secretary of Public Security was attacked and killed. In response, Rodríguez decided to check all the police officers. He wanted to make sure no one in the police force was involved in bad activities.
During his time as mayor, Rodríguez faced dangers. He worked hard to make the city safer. He also put money into education and programs to help people in García. A documentary called El Bronco sin Miedo (The Fearless Bronco) was made about his efforts.
2015 Gubernatorial Campaign
Becoming an Independent Candidate
On September 14, 2014, Rodríguez left the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He wanted to run for governor of Nuevo León as an independent candidate. He felt that there was too much corruption in the PRI. He also believed people in Nuevo León did not trust the old political parties anymore.
Rodríguez officially registered his plan to run on December 3, 2014. To be a candidate, he needed to show he had support from many people. He needed signatures from at least 3% of the state's voters. This was about 103,000 signatures. He collected 334,000 signatures, which was much more than he needed.
Winning the Election
Rodríguez pointed out that independent candidates received much less money for their campaigns. He received only a small amount, while candidates from big parties got millions of pesos. Because of this, Rodríguez started an online platform. This helped him raise money for his campaign from supporters.
During the first debate for governor, another candidate, Raúl Guajardo Cantú, decided to support Rodríguez. Later, on May 21, Fernando Elizondo Barragán, a former governor, also stepped down and supported Rodríguez.
On June 7, 2015, Rodríguez won the election to become Governor of Nuevo León. It was a big win, as he got 48.82% of the votes. He beat his closest opponent by a large margin. He made history by becoming the first independent candidate to win a governorship in Mexico.
Governor of Nuevo León (2015–2021)
Jaime Rodríguez became Governor of Nuevo León on October 4, 2015.
He asked for a six-month break from his job, starting January 1, 2018. He wanted to run for president in the 2018 election. The Congress of Nuevo León approved his break. They chose Manuel Florentino González Flores to be the temporary governor. After the presidential election, Rodríguez returned to his role as governor on July 2, 2018.
Improving Transportation
Metrorrey
Rodríguez's government continued building Line 3 of the subway system. It was finished in 2019. However, it could not open right away because there were no trains. In December 2019, it was announced that a company would build 26 new train cars. The line finally started working in February 2021.
His administration also stopped free Sunday services on the subway. They bought 24 used train cars for Lines 1 and 2. There was a plan to slowly increase subway fares. But this plan was stopped in 2020. The governor said that buying used trains saved money, so fares could stay the same.
Handling Challenges
COVID-19 Pandemic Response
On March 11, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Nuevo León. On March 17, Rodríguez announced that places like movie theaters, casinos, and parks would close. He also said that in-person classes for young students would stop. Instead, lessons would be shown on Canal 28 Nuevo León, a state TV channel. As more cases appeared, public transportation stopped on Sundays. Weekday hours were also reduced.
In March 2020, Rodríguez worked with the governors of Coahuila and Tamaulipas. They formed a group to fight COVID-19 in the northeast region. They agreed to set up health checkpoints around their states. They also said the federal government was not giving enough money to fight the pandemic.
Rodríguez often shared funny pictures and messages online. These were meant to help people learn about COVID-19. They encouraged wearing face masks and getting vaccinated.
News Coverage
Jaime Rodríguez decided not to spend public money on news coverage. He believed that some major news channels, like Televisa, did not report fairly on his government. He claimed they would minimize or show negative news about him. This was because he refused to pay them for good reports. He gave examples of his government's successes, like finding stolen cars, that he said were not reported by these news outlets.
2018 Presidential Campaign
Rodríguez decided to run for president in 2018 as an independent candidate again. He needed many signatures to be on the ballot. At first, he didn't have enough valid signatures. But his lawyer appealed, and a court ordered that he be registered as a candidate.
During a debate in April, Rodríguez made a strong statement. He said, "We have to cut off the hands of those who rob. It's that simple." This comment made him a popular topic on social media during the debate.
He also suggested bringing back the death penalty for certain serious crimes. This punishment was officially ended in Mexico in 2005.
According to early results, Rodríguez Calderón received about 5% of the votes. He accepted that Andrés Manuel López Obrador had won the election.
Later, in September 2019, a court ruled that Rodríguez had used state employees to help gather signatures for his 2018 campaign. They also fined him for using public money to promote his 2014–2015 campaign for governor. Rodríguez planned to appeal these decisions.
Personal Life
Jaime Rodríguez Calderón has six children. He has been married three times. His first wife was María Eugenia Gutiérrez. They had two children: Zoraida and Jaime Lizenco. She passed away in October 2009 in a car accident. His second wife was Silvia Mireya González. They had a daughter named Jimena. His third marriage was on January 25, 2006, to Adalina Dávalos Martínez. They have three children: Valentina, Victoria, and Emiliano. He also adopted Alejandro, who is his current wife's son from another relationship.
See also
In Spanish: Jaime Rodríguez Calderón para niños
