aggressive internal campaign had weakened Labastida's candidacy in the eyes of the electorate, and was seen as a major factor in his defeat by the National Action Party (PAN) candidate Vicente Fox Quesada. After the historical loss of the presidential election in 2000, the PRI was faced an uncertain future. Madrazo, however, as party leader, was able to parlay the party's strong infrastructure and history into electoral victories, particularly in his home state of Tabasco, which helped avoid internecine troubles. PRI presidency Madrazo ran for the presidency of the PRI in 2002, allying himself with Elba Esther Gordillo (as his general secretary), the powerful leader of the National Education Workers' Union. Together, they defeated their adversary, Senator Beatriz Paredes in a close election. After the election, Gordillo became his political rival, resulting in her retirement from public life for a year amidst many verbal accusations (she was accused of murdering members of her labor-based opposition and conspiring against PRI members). In early 2005, Gordillo returned to the political scene and broke publicly with Madrazo. 2006 presidential campaign Madrazo's position as national leader of the PRI gave him a considerable advantage in his campaign for the 2006 presidential candidacy. As the election neared, there had been a growing discomfort among other would-be PRI candidates, who increasingly demanded that clear rules for the internal campaign be set. Many PRI-affiliated state governors formed the group Democratic Unity, nicknamed TUCOM (Todos Unidos Contra Madrazo, "All United Against Madrazo") in the media. They chose Arturo Montiel as their pre-candidate. In the primary elections, Madrazo, Montiel, and a third contender, Everardo Moreno Cruz, competed for the candidacy. Montiel resigned after legal issues concerning mansions in Mexico and France (his wife is a French citizen); his sons were also implicated in embezzlement schemes. Montiel's resignation resulted in Madrazo's candidacy, although minimal participation on the part of the PRI votership may have indicated a lack of faith in the PRI or a general disinterest. He was also accused by political rivals of tax evasion. After the primaries, Madrazo forged an alliance with the PVEM, and earned the party's nomination. Madrazo faced a battle against Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the former Head of Government of the Federal District and PRD presidential candidate. López Obrador was something of a personal rival, having previously lost to Madrazo in the election for the Tabasco governorship in 1994. Another contestant was the right-of-center