María Jesús Montero, PSOE-A candidate to lead Andalusia's Junta, launched her election campaign in Granada on Thursday ahead of May 17. With the slogan 'defend the public', the former deputy prime minister focuses her speech on recovering public services against Juan Manuel Moreno's government. Accompanied by Miguel Ríos, she urged voters not to be 'duped' by PP propaganda.
María Jesús Montero kicked off the PSOE Andalusian campaign in a Granada hotel events hall, with around 700 attendees and Miguel Ríos as opener. The socialist candidate, flanked by Rebeca Torró and Olga Manzano, chose the Alhambra city for her first rally, days after PP criticism for not visiting during precampaign.
Montero criticized Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla's seven tax cuts but avoided saying if she would reverse them if elected. She focused on public services deterioration, citing 7,000 deaths waiting for dependency benefits and the screening crisis affecting 4,000 women. "The health system has a solution, we must return hope", she said, pledging as president no citizen would wait over 24 or 48 hours for a family doctor.
The former deputy prime minister called Moreno a “wolf in sheep's clothing” pushing privatization and reframed his “stability or chaos” slogan as waits for surgeries and aid. She referenced PP-Vox pacts in Extremadura and Aragón, and voiced support for Begoña Gómez after reporting an assault. "We are at a crossroads where we must decide our future", she told militants.
Facing unfavorable polls, PSOE aims not to drop below Juan Espadas's 30 seats from 2022. Montero emphasized “equality” and “hope”, issuing a unity message despite internal list frictions, such as in Cádiz.
