Mexico is about to have its biggest election ever. Here's what to know

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Campaigning formally starts Friday for Mexico's biggest election in history.

Voters will choose the president, along with the winners of 628 seats in Congress and tens of thousands of local positions.

The country of 130 million people has often been marked by its “macho” culture. Now it is almost certain to elect its first woman president.

Also at play are escalating cartel warfare, the political legacy of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the long, often tumultuous relationship with the United States.