Mendoza: These are the lists and main candidates for deputies and senators

The province of Mendoza has defined its candidates ahead of the upcoming October 26 elections. The closing of candidate lists confirmed an electoral scenario marked by the prominence of La Libertad Avanza together with Cambia Mendoza, which are presenting a joint slate at all levels. The provincial ruling party holds an advantage over a Peronism that barely managed to maintain internal unity and over an opposition fragmented into multiple minor fronts that will hardly be able to attract support beyond their base.

With the electoral schedule underway, Mendoza will put five of its ten seats in the National Chamber of Deputies up for grabs. At the provincial level, 24 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 19 in the Senate will be renewed, while at the municipal level, twelve departments will have to elect half of their councilors. The particularity is that six districts –Maipú, Luján de Cuyo, Rivadavia, Santa Rosa, La Paz, and San Rafael– postponed that decision until February 2026.

The political news of the day came from the Mendoza ruling party by confirming thatLuis Petri, current  Minister of Defense of the Nation, will head the list of national deputies. His move to the libertarian ranks strengthens the alliance framework between the Unión Cívica Radical and La Libertad Avanza, which converged in a joint proposal focused on economic order, governability, and national projection. Petri will be accompanied by Pamela Verasay and Demarchist Álvaro Martínez, consolidating a coalition that mixes historic Radicals and emerging figures from the libertarian space.

At the local level, Cambia Mendoza + La Libertad Avanza will distribute its main leaders among the four provincial districts. Names such as Patricia Sánchez,Martín Kerchner, Néstor Majul, and Leonardo Yapur in the Senate, and Julián Sadoschi, Griselda Petri, Melisa Malanca, and Alejandra Torti in the Chamber of Deputies, highlight the territorial strength of the coalition. In all districts, the ballots replicate the mixed formula with Radical and libertarian candidates, reflecting the unity strategy that contrasts with the dispersion of the opposition.

On the opposite side, Mendoza's Peronism presented under the label  "Fuerza Justicialista Mendoza" a unity list that,  although it managed to bring together sectors from the PJ, Proyecto Sur, PI, Nuevo Encuentro, and La Cámpora, shows weaknesses in its electoral prospects. The national candidacy of  Emir Félix, accompanied by Marisa Uceda and Matías Stevanato, seeks to balance territorial leaderships with Kirchnerist representation, although in an adverse context for Justicialism in the province.  At the local level, Lucas Ilardo, Luis Novillo, Omar Parisi, and Pedro Serra share representation in the districts, along with leaders from a new party generation seeking to avoid another defeat.

The opposition appears even more fragmented  outside of Peronism and the ruling party. The Provincias Unidas front, under the slogan "Defendamos Mendoza", brings together sectors linked to Grito Federal, dissident Radicals, and union leaders. The inclusion of PRO  at the provincial level allows for a broader base, although without a competitive national figure capable of centralizing the opposition vote. Roberto Righi, Federico Ábalos, Laura Balsells Miró, and Gustavo Majstruk head the district candidacies, but in a scenario where it will be difficult for them to surpass the historical ceiling of these expressions.

Partido Verde and Libres del Sur joined forces in the Frente Verde, which nominates Mario Vadillo as its national candidate. Although with some territorial presence,  the group aims to consolidate its legislative presence rather than compete for the top spots. A similar situation occurs with the  Frente Demócrata Libertario,  an alliance between Partido Demócrata and Partido Libertario, which presented  Gabriel Sotile as its national figure and seeks to reinsert itself in the provincial scene with testimonial candidacies in the districts.

The smaller parties complete the electoral map with limited chances.  Protectora, led by Carolina Jacky as national candidate and with José Luis Ramón heading the provincial list, is trying to regain lost ground after its brief stint in Congress. Partido de los Jubilados, with Isabel Grosso and Carlos Zalazar as lead candidates, centers its campaign on rejecting pension reforms. Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores – Unidad, with Micaela Blanco Minoli as its top national candidate, keeps its strategy of sustaining legislative representation by appealing to activism in union and student sectors.

The electoral configuration makes it clear that the central axis of the contest will be between Cambia Mendoza + La Libertad Avanza and Fuerza Justicialista Mendoza. However, differences in organization, leadership, and national projection place the provincial ruling party at a considerable advantage.  Petri's candidacy, the Radical-libertarian integration, and the consolidation of a homogeneous front in the four districts give it a clear favorite profile.

Justicialism, meanwhile,  arrives with difficulties in expanding its base and with a historical ceiling that has relegated it in recent provincial elections. The fragmentation of the opposition into multiple minor fronts further reduces any possibility of building a competitive alternative.

In this scenario, Mendoza is emerging as a district where La Libertad Avanza, in alliance with Cambia Mendoza, will not only retain but also expand its political weight, projecting itself with greater strength at the national level.