He previously served as governor of Tabasco from January 2019 until August 2021, date on which he was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

López presented his thesis "El Estado Federal Mexicano" and graduated summa cum laude, earning a degree in law from the Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco in 1984.

[4] Competing in the home state of Morena's presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, polling through the race showed him with a wide advantage.

[7] The candidacy also attracted some concern from members of Morena, who accused him of falsifying documents in real estate transactions as a notary, which allegedly benefitted his family.

[8] Exit polling on election night gave López between 61.7 and 69.7 percent of the vote, with a lead of some 40 percentage points over Gerardo Gaudiano, the PRD candidate.