From the fields to city hall: The young farmer who changed Marcos Juárez politics

Germán Font’s victory in Marcos Juárez carried an unmistakable symbolism: the man who will now lead the politics of Argentina’s “productive heart” came to public life from the fields.

Font, 36, is an agricultural producer and agronomist who spent years in organizations representing farmers. Running for Generación Marcos Juárez alongside local Justicialist Party president Eduardo Foresi, he won 46.09% of the vote, or 6,150 ballots. Former mayor Pedro Dellarossa finished second with 19.99%, while Gerardo Pasquali of Marcos Juárez Despierta took 17.31%.

The result restored Peronism to the mayor’s office for the first time since 1973, ending more than five decades of dominance by non-Peronist forces. Marcos Juárez had become associated with the beginning of Cambiemos’ political cycle after Dellarossa won there in 2014, turning the city into a symbol of anti-Peronist voting.

Font’s path began in the rural world. The son of a local farmer, he joined youth centers run by the Agricultores Federados Argentinos and Alborada cooperatives at 14. He later worked with the Argentine Agrarian Federation, becoming its national youth director and a leader in the organization’s District 5 in Córdoba.

After studying agronomic engineering at the National University of Rosario, Font combined agricultural work with professional representation and government service. From 2018, he held several rural-sector posts in Córdoba, including director general of territorial development, deputy secretary for agricultural bio-development and innovation, and secretary for coordination and productive development. His political trajectory therefore ran in the opposite direction to the usual route: he reached politics after first building a career in agriculture.