Campaigning officially began Friday for elections likely to produce Mexico's first woman president.

Opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez launched her campaign, seeking to tap into voter concerns about the country's rampant violence.

Galvez, an outspoken businesswoman with Indigenous roots, sought to put the focus on the country's insecurity with a night-time rally in the city of Fresnillo in the violence-wracked central state of Zacatecas.

She led a candle-lit march through the streets before sharing the stage with a relative of one of Mexico's more than 100,000 missing persons, holding a minute's silence for victims of violence.

Public opinion polls suggest that she faces a tough battle against ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, a former Mexico City mayor and close ally of outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

With three months to go before the June 2 vote, Sheinbaum, a 61-year-old scientist by training, enjoys a significant lead with 63 percent support.

Meanwhile, Polls show that Galvez, has 31 percent support, while Jorge Alvarez,  of the Citizens' Movement party is a distant third with just five percent.