Mexico’s president mourns local candidate killed shortly after starting her campaign

By MARK STEVENSON
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president says he is mourning a mayoral candidate killed the day before, just hours after she requested protection and started campaigning. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday the killing of one of his own party’s candidates “hurts a lot,” but he did not announce any increase in security for politicians. Candidate Bertha Gaytán was gunned down on a street in a town just outside the city of Celaya, in the north-central state of Guanajuato. Gaytán had just launched her campaign for Celaya mayor on Monday and acknowledged she had asked for protection. A city council candidate also went missing in the same attack on Monday.