Before the Baja California election, the PRI controlled all state governorships. The July 2, 1989 election broke that unanimity. Ernesto Ruffo won by approximately 41,000 votes. His victory produced the first recognized change of party in a state governorship after six decades. His administration became an early test of plural government, state autonomy, and reforms, though it also faced organized-crime violence and institutional disputes.
The election took place in the context of the reforms of the Carlos Salinas de Gortari administration. Ruffo had the support of the National Action Party (PAN) and broad civic networks that had participated in the 1986 municipal campaign in Ensenada.
Democratic interpretation: Voters broke the PRI's monopoly and established a visible precedent for electoral alternation.
Alternative interpretation: Some contemporary observers argued that President Carlos Salinas de Gortari accepted an opposition victory partly to strengthen the legitimacy of his reform agenda and avoid the cost of another disputed election.
Ernesto Ruffo Appel took office as governor of Baja California on November 1, 1989, and served until 1995. His administration operated within a system where federal power remained largely PRI-dominated, testing the limits of Mexican federalism.