II.

Governor

Fox joined politics late in his career. He was motivated to participate by Manuel Clouthier, the 1988 presidential candidate for the conservative National Action Party (PAN). In 1988 Fox, as a PAN candidate, was elected to Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies from his home state; he represented Guanajuato's Third District until 1991. In that year Fox ran for governor of Guanajuato, again as a PAN candidate. However, he lost the election, which many analysts described as fraudulent. In 1995 he ran again and was elected governor by a large margin.

As governor, Fox was able to bring important outside investment to his state to promote economic growth and improve education. He also overcame the difficulties of governing a state in the face of strong political opposition in the legislature. He was willing to incorporate members of other parties into his administration and to compromise with the local congressional leaders.

While serving as governor, Fox began campaigning for the presidency, winning the nomination of the PAN and the support of several other smaller parties. He founded a grassroots organization in 1998 known as the Friends of Fox, and this organization later proved critical to his electoral victory. In August 1999 Fox resigned as governor to focus his attention on the presidential campaign.