Javier Milei made a big splash in the PASO primaries: he won 30 percent of votes cast, becoming the leading candidate and emerging with La Libertad Avanza as the most voted force overall.
Patricia Bullrich also held her own: she prevailed over Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and his Buenos Aires City apparatus: 16.98 percent to 11.29 percent in the Juntos por el Cambio presidential primary. But there are other winners from this year’s PASO – from boosts for the leadership of Mauricio Macri to localists who had fierce rivalries in the ruling Unión por la Patria coalition.
Javier MIlei: The libertarian made a big splash. Not only was he the most-voted-for candidate, but his force, La Libertad Avanza, also came first in the electorate’s list of preferences Above all, Milei managed to understand society's weariness with modern politics and to set an agenda of issues in play, many of which imply a reduction of the size of the state.
Patricia Bullrich: She had told those close to her, prior to the ‘veda’ electoral ban and at the close of her campaign that it was "mission accomplished." Her austere campaign she managed to convince Juntos por el Cambio’s voters. "All or nothing," her campaign slogan, also won over the electorate who, in tune with Milei's discourse, are seeking pronounced and profound changes without the entanglements of dialogue.
Mauricio Macri: The former president avoided the retirement that would have been imposed on him if Horacio Rodríguez Larreta had defeated Bullrich. Instead, he is celebrating a victory by his cousin in Buenos Aires City over Rodríguez Larreta’s alliance with the UCR in the capital, and a more crucial one by Bullrich, to whom he ceded his teams. Moreover, he managed to read the new political map well in advance, anticipating the result.
Luis Petri: From being excluded from electoral lists in Mendoza in 2021 to an excellent internal campaign against Alfredo Cornejo in the provincial PASOs. Petri has achieved his revenge nationally and today shares a ticket with Bullrich, one that will project him to greater aspirations in the future. Young, with a good media presence, he is one of the fresh new faces of the Unión Cívica Radical.
Jorge Macri: The former mayor of Vicente López saw a window of opportunity after Diego Santilli crossed over to run in Buenos Aires Province in 2021 and agreed to a place in Rodríguez Larreta’s City Hall Cabinet with a view to competing in 2023. It was a risky decision and not without obstacles – Jorge Macri managed to overcome the internal battle to represent PRO, relegating Soledad Acuña and Fernán Quirós off the ticket, and came through a hard-fought battle with Radical Senator Martín Lousteau, whom Rodríguez Larreta openly sponsored.
Rogelio Frigerio: The former interior minister endorsed the good numbers obtained in the 2021 legislative elections and is now the favourite to take control of Entre Ríos Province, one of the few provinces where Juntos por el Cambio won last Sunday. A strong leader in regional politics who will now have his own terrain from which to project himself nationally.
Julio Zamora: The mayor of Tigre had been put in check after the coronation of Sergio Massa as the candidate of Unión por la Patria. Installed as economy minister, Massa had left Zamora without the possibility of hanging onto the presidential slate that pushed him to the top, in order to cut votes in favour of his wife, Malena Galmarini, a candidate for mayor of that district.
Fernando Espinoza: The mayor of La Matanza faced a difficult battle with the social movements that were pushing the pre-candidacy of Patricia Cubría, social leader Emilio Pérsico's partner. He overcame it comfortably, demonstrating that the barons of the Conurbano are stronger than La Cámpora or the Movimiento Evita believe.
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