ZETA Tijuana casts Hank Rhon as weakened political figure
Original reporting: ZETA Tijuana
What happened
A ZETA Tijuana column revisited Jorge Hank Rhon’s political record, allegations and electoral defeats as supporters promote him as a possible 2027 Baja California candidate. The source’s characterization is opinion, while the reported vote totals and legal history remain attributed to the column and its cited records.
Reporting and context
ZETA Tijuana described former Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon as a politically weakened figure in Baja California as factions within Morena consider alternatives for the 2027 gubernatorial race. The outlet’s column revisited allegations and legal history surrounding Hank Rhon, including his 2011 detention for weapons possession and earlier investigations in cases involving two killings; those claims are presented by the source and are not independently established here.
ZETA Tijuana reported that Hank Rhon served as Tijuana’s mayor from 2004 to 2007, a period the column characterizes as one of the city’s most violent. The article also recounts claims about kidnappings, extortion and so-called “black commandos” during that administration, while attributing the broader political and criminal allegations to its own commentary and cited history.
The column said supporters on social media are promoting Hank Rhon as a possible candidate backed by the Social Encounter Party, or PES, after Morena designated Julieta Ramírez Padilla as its expected 2027 nominee. It compared the electoral numbers cited in the source: Ramírez Padilla received more than 600,000 votes in 2024 while Hank Rhon received 346,547 in the 2021 governor’s race, which he lost to Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda by about 200,000 votes. ZETA Tijuana’s conclusion that Hank Rhon is “politically finished” is the column’s assessment, not an official electoral determination.