Morena Taps Imelda Castro for Sinaloa Leadership, Replacing Governor Rocha

Imelda Castro Castro, a prominent figure in Sinaloa's left-wing politics, is set to lead the Morena party in the state, marking a new chapter after Rubén Rocha Moya's departure from the governorship.

At 58, Castro boasts an extensive political career that predates Morena's formation. Originating from Agua Caliente de Cebada in the Sinaloa municipality, she built a significant part of her career within the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). There, she served as state leader and represented the party twice as a local deputy.

Her political journey began long before holding elected office. In the 1990s, she joined organizations focused on peasant causes and was part of El Barzón, a movement that gained traction during the economic crisis of that decade. She later became fully integrated into the PRD's structure, holding national positions related to agricultural affairs and party training.

Castro's electoral experience includes a bid for the Senate under the PRD in 2000. She entered the Sinaloa Congress as a local deputy for the first time in 2001 and returned to the state legislature in 2013. Her public administration experience includes a stint in the Secretariat of Economic Development during the government of Mario López Valdez.

In 2017, Castro left the PRD to join Morena. A year later, she secured a seat in the Senate alongside Rubén Rocha Moya. However, their political relationship shifted during the 2021 gubernatorial nomination process. Castro was part of the faction supporting Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres, then state party leader, for the candidacy. After Morena ultimately chose Rocha Moya, who won the governorship, Castro publicly voiced her disagreements with the alliance between Morena and the Partido Sinaloense (PAS), founded by Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda. She questioned the alignment with Cuén's political group.