Josefina Vázquez Mota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josefina Vázquez Mota
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| President of the Political Coordination Board of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 5 September 2010 – 31 August 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Francisco Rojas Gutiérrez |
| Succeeded by | Armando Ríos Piter |
| Coordinator of the Parliamentary Group of the National Action Party | |
| In office 1 September 2009 – 6 September 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Héctor Larios Córdova |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Javier Ramírez Acuña |
| Secretary of Public Education | |
| In office 1 December 2006 – 4 April 2009 |
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| President | Felipe Calderón |
| Preceded by | Reyes Tamez Guerra |
| Succeeded by | Alonso Lujambio |
| Secretary of Social Development | |
| In office 1 December 2000 – 6 January 2006 |
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| President | Vicente Fox |
| Preceded by | Carlos Jarque |
| Succeeded by | Ana Teresa Aranda |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Josefina Eugenia Vázquez Mota
20 January 1961 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Political party | National Action Party |
| Spouse |
Sergio Ocampo Muñoz
(m. 1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Iberoamerican University Panamerican University Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology |
| Website | Official website: http://www.josefina.com.mx/ |
Josefina Eugenia Vázquez Mota (born 20 January 1961, in Mexico City) is a businessperson and politician from Mexico. She was the presidential candidate for the National Action Party (PAN) in the 2012 elections. Vázquez Mota studied economics and worked in family businesses and with different business groups. She also worked as a journalist and wrote books. She started her political journey with the PAN, serving in Mexico's federal Chamber of Deputies. Later, she worked in the governments of Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. She was the first woman to run for president for the PAN party.
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Early Life and Education
Josefina Vázquez Mota was born in Mexico City on January 20, 1961. Her parents, Arnulfo Vázquez and Josefina Mota, came from the Sierra Norte de Puebla region of Mexico. She has seven brothers and sisters. She remembers selling chocolate shakes on the street with her sister when they were young.
Vázquez Mota spent her first five years in a working-class area of Mexico City. She started her education in public school. She later convinced her parents to let her attend a vocational school, Center of Scientific and Technological Studies CECyT 9. She was a very dedicated student and enjoyed mathematics.
She went on to study at the private Universidad Iberoamericana, where she earned a degree in economics. She also took courses in management at the Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresas. Additionally, she studied at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.
Vázquez Mota met her husband, Sergio Ocampo Muñoz, in high school. He is a computer specialist. They got married in 1984 and have three daughters: María José, Celia María, and Montserrat.
Career Before Politics
Vázquez Mota became involved in economic discussions through a friend of her father's. This led her to work with various business groups and attend conferences around the world, especially in Latin America. She worked for business organizations like the Confederación de Cámaras Nacionales de Comercio, Servicios y Turismo (Concanaco) and the Confederación Patronal de la República Méxicana (Coparmex).
For some time, she worked as a journalist. She wrote about economic topics for newspapers such as Novedades de México, El Financiero, and El Economista. In the 1980s, she and her family moved to Chihuahua. There, they helped manage some family businesses, including a children's clothing store.
She has written two books. One is a self-help book that became very popular, selling over 400,000 copies. Her second book, Nuestra oportunidad. Un México para todos (Our opportunity. A Mexico for everyone), shares conversations with 22 international leaders. She also hosted a business show for TV Azteca.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Vázquez Mota began her political career with the National Action Party (PAN). She was part of the Asociación Coordinadora Ciudadana and the Secretaría de la Mujer. In 1996, she was asked to become a representative in the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City. This was because of her strong knowledge in economics. During this time, she met Felipe Calderón, who was then the PAN president.
She was elected to the federal legislature for the years 2000–2003. She led the group focused on economic policy. After this, she was chosen as the first female Secretary of Social Development (SEDESOL). She stayed in this role until 2006. She then left to work on Felipe Calderón's presidential campaign.
Working in the Government
In 2006, Josefina Vázquez Mota was named the campaign coordinator for Felipe Calderón. After Calderón won the election, she joined his transition team. She helped connect different political groups. Later, she was appointed Secretary of Public Education. She was the first woman to hold this important job.
Her time as Secretary of Public Education included some disagreements with the powerful head of the national teachers' union, Elba Esther Gordillo. After this role, she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies again. From 2009 to 2011, she led the PAN group in Parliament.
Running for President
In 2011, she left the legislature after winning her party's nomination to run for president. She won the nomination with 55% of the votes in the primary election. This made her the first female candidate for president from the PAN. She was also the first female candidate for president from a major political party in Mexico's history.
She presented herself as different from the other candidates. She also wanted to show she was different from her own party, which had been in power for 12 years. At the time, she was less known than the candidates from the other two main parties (PRI and PRD).
As a candidate, Vázquez Mota supported strong punishments for politicians involved in corruption with organized crime. She wanted more scholarships for students. She also pushed for changes to labor laws. She believed these changes would help 400,000 people find formal jobs each year. She also promised to fight against discrimination towards women. She did not speak against the policies of the previous presidents, Calderón and Fox. She said that military forces should only leave an area when there is a trustworthy police force in place. She is also a National Political Advisor for the PAN.
In the 2012 election, she finished in third place. She received 25.4% of the total votes.
After the 2012 Election
Vázquez Mota ran for governor of the State of Mexico in the 2017 election. She finished in fourth place in a close race. The winner was Alfredo del Mazo Maza from a PRI-led group.
In the 2018 general election, she was elected to the Senate. She was part of the PAN's national list.
In the 2024 general election, she ran for the Chamber of Deputies. She ran in the 18th district of the State of Mexico (Huixquilucan). However, she was narrowly defeated by Claudia Sánchez Juárez from the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM).
See also
In Spanish: Josefina Vázquez Mota para niños
