( CNN ) -- Enrique Peña Nieto , the man election authorities project will be Mexico 's next president , was the governor of Mexico 's most populous state . His wife is a well-known television star . Since 1984 , the 45-year-old lawyer has been building his political career . He has been a state official , a local lawmaker and a political adviser to the Institutional Revolutionary Party . Peña Nieto projected winner in Mexican presidential vote . His five-year tenure as the governor of the state of Mexico , which surrounds the capital and has more than 15 million residents , catapulted him into the national spotlight . Some analysts said being governor from 2005 to 2011 also garnered him greater attention not only within the ranks of his party but within the national media . But not all the attention has been positive . At times , Peña Nieto 's personal life has been tabloid fodder . He has admitted fathering two kids out of wedlock while married to his first wife , Monica Pretelini Saenz , who died in 2007 after suffering a seizure . In 2010 , he married the prominent actress Angelica Rivera , best known for her role as the domineering tequila maker in the soap opera `` Destilando Amor , '' Spanish for `` Distilling Love . '' At a recent campaign event his convoy was pelted with rocks by students who feel Peña Nieto had been given a free pass by the media . Weeks before Sunday 's vote , criticisms of Peña Nieto and concerns about the PRI 's possible return to power fueled a student movement that staged demonstrations throughout the country . Peña Nieto 's campaign has been based on a series of pledges that he said will increase the quality of life for Mexicans nationwide . Future of U.S.-Mexico relationship . His platform included plans to stop the rise in food prices , promote energy reform , give social security to all Mexicans and reduce violence nationwide . `` I propose changing fear for hope . I propose changing Mexico , '' he said in a presidential debate this year . While his proposals for reducing violence have played well in Mexico , they sparked some concerned among Republican lawmakers on the other side of the border , who worry he may not be as committed to combating cartels as his predecessor . Peña Nieto 's campaign has said he remains committed to fighting organized crime . `` The law is applied ; it is never negotiated , '' the campaign said in a statement this month . 8 things U.S. could learn from Mexico . CNN 's Miguel Marquez , Mario Gonzalez and CNNMexico.com contributed to this report .
Enrique Peña Nieto was governor of Mexico 's most populous state . The job brought him into the national spotlight . Critics say Peña Nieto is too cozy with Mexico 's media . His aggressive drug control strategy has received praise in Mexico , concern in the U.S .