We have been thinking lately about how quickly we flatten political leaders into a single word.

Socialist. Conservative. Strongman. Woke. Corrupt. Savior. Disaster.

It saves time, I suppose. But it also saves us from having to look very closely. Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is an interesting case. She is the first woman ever to lead Mexico. She has a Ph.D. in energy engineering, spent four years at Berkeley, helped contribute to the climate work connected to a Nobel Peace Prize, served as mayor of Mexico City, and became a grandmother shortly before she became president.

That does not make her right about everything. It does make it harder to fit into the cartoon labels that many traditional media outlets use to improve their ratings.

Her government is trying to expand public healthcare. It is working more closely with the United States on security than Mexico has in years. It is also dealing with cartels, a slow economy, intense pressure from Washington and the impossible expectations that come with leading 130 million people.

So, is she a socialist? You can decide what label you prefer. We are more interested in a harder

question: is the government actually working? 

That is why we built the MND Sheinbaum Index—not to praise her or tear her down, but to look at the numbers underneath the shouting.

Read more if this caught your attention:

• Claudia Sheinbaum, a case study: A perspective from our CEO — Travis’s personal introduction to the woman behind the office: scientist, mother, grandmother, former mayor and Mexico’s first female president.

• The MND Sheinbaum Index for July 2026 — A data-based look at what is improving, what is not, and why the administration scored 69.3/100.

• What people say vs. the hard data: A perspective from our CEO — Why MND decided personality and political labels were not enough.

• Mexico’s universal health service launched — What the country is attempting in healthcare, and why it matters. Mexico is changing in real time. The trick is finding a source that helps you see the change without asking you to join anyone’s team.

Travis Bembenek, CEO