The dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy gives padrino, godfather, a sense beyond baptism: “Persona que ampara y protege a otra, y que a veces emplea su poder para facilitarle la consecución de algo” (A person who shelters and protects another, and who sometimes uses his power to help the other achieve something). Mexican political talk speaks of the padrino político, the political godfather.
In July 2026, La Razón reported on padrinazgo among Morena’s aspirants for governor. A political scientist said that one aspirant in Baja California, Julieta Ramírez Padilla, walked a tightrope “debido a la sombra de su principal padrino político” (because of the shadow of her main political godfather). Another expert warned that an aspirant who accepts a padrino político risks losing all independence in office.