Mexico is facing a close presidential race this spring, with drug violence taking center stage and PAN, the party that ended the 70-year rule of the PRI in 2000, at risk of losing the presidency. The security situation in Mexico has never been worse, with drug-related killings up from 2,119 in 2006, when President Felipe Calderon was elected, to 47,000 last year. The female candidate chosen by the National Action Party (PAN) to succeed Calderon, Josefina Vazquez Mota, will have a difficult time making the case for PAN’s continued rule.But the People’s Revolutionary Party (PRI) is not necessarily a strong bet to retake the presidency this year. The party’s candidate, Enrique Pena Nieto, continues to lead in the polls, but his recent missteps and the popularity of PAN candidate Vazquez Mota will likely make for a close race.