OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

JEREZ, Mexico - Smuggled into the United States in a car trunk, Andres Bermudez went from field hand to millionaire, inventing a tomato planting machine that earned him the nickname "The Tomato King."

But what he really wants to do is govern his Mexican home town of Jerez. That's not easy when life straddles the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bermudez is one of several migrant candidates running for office in Zacatecas state elections Sunday, a vote that is being closely watched as Mexico seeks to politically integrate Mexicans living abroad.

The northern state of Zacatecas changed its constitution last year to make it easier for migrant candidates to win. It set aside two state congressional seats for migrants only, and allowed part-time residents and U.S.-born citizens with Zacatecan parents to run for office.

The changes are part of a national debate about the political role of the more than 20 million people of Mexican heritage living in the United States.

That debate took off in 2001 when Bermudez won the mayor's race in Jerez, a town of 55,000 that has 50,000 more residents working in the United States. He won, but was stripped of victory by the Federal Electoral Institute because he had not been a legal resident for a year before the election.

"The government has always ignored us, but they need to know that behind me there are many more migrants waiting to come back and make a change," Bermudez said.

With a network of more than 350 clubs and social associations in the United States, migrants from Zacatecas have been pushing for recognition and government representation. There are about 1.5 million Zacatecans, a number equal to the state's current population, spread across 20 U.S. states. The majority live in California, Texas and Illinois.

Bermudez isn't alone. A man from California is running for mayor of the village of Apulco, and four other migrants are vying for the two spots in the state legislature.

"We're setting the example for a lot of states," said Bermudez, who first left his hometown in 1973. "Since I won the first time, I've been getting calls of migrants from all over Mexico wanting to know how we're doing things."

On a national level, Congress is considering more than a dozen proposals to let Mexicans cast absentee ballots, especially in the United States. President Vicente Fox also has sent a proposal to Congress to allow migrants to vote outside their country. Currently, they must return to Mexico to participate in elections.

Migrants have become harder to ignore. They sent home a record $13.3 billion last year, Mexico's second-largest source of foreign income behind oil. Those from Zacatecas send home an estimated $2 million a day.

Government officials and political contenders often go to the United States in search of support. In the last few months, all three major candidates for governor of Zacatecas visited the United States.

Amalia Garcia, the Democratic Revolution Party's gubernatorial candidate, visited Zacatecan communities in Texas, Nevada and Illinois. She said Mexico needs to make it easier for migrants to vote.

"We have advanced in the right of migrants to be elected, but we still lack a way for them to participate in elections, because we would be delighted if they could vote," she said.

Candidates also face criticism from those who say years of living abroad has put them out of touch with problems at home.

Javier Reyes, a 38-year-old bean farmer, said he's heard migrant candidates talk about developing Zacatecas' economy and its infrastructure. But he's still waiting for a clear proposal to help farmers.

"Most of them are migrants who have spent a whole life in the United States and maybe have come back a few times," Reyes said. "I'm not sure they understand the misery we live in."

Manuel de la Cruz, who left Zacatecas 33 years ago for California and owns a construction business, is running for the state congress and wants to bring jobs to Zacatecas.

"A lot of us left out of necessity, and today those of us who have succeeded in the United States want to help our state grow to stop the wave of migration north," de la Cruz said. "I think all of us who left understand what it is like to live in poverty."