Often mentioned as a possible future leader of the party, Ayuso has crafted a political identity built around libertarian-inflected hard-right populism, confrontational anti-left rhetoric, and a combative defense of capitalist “freedom.” Her rise to prominence has marked a sharp rightward shift within the PP, blurring lines between “respectable” conservatism and the far-right nationalism represented by parties such as Vox.
A longtime party insider, Ayuso rose through the ranks of the PP’s Madrid branch via its political communications apparatus. She was reportedly close to Alejandro de Pedro Llorca, a digital consultant later implicated in the Púnica corruption scandal and accused of operating disinformation networks and Twitter bot farms to benefit PP politicians. While Ayuso has denied any wrongdoing, she played a central role in managing the PP’s online communications strategy.
Despite her low public profile at the time, Ayuso was selected as the PP’s candidate for the 2019 Madrid regional elections as the party attempted to distance itself from corruption scandals. Although the PP recorded its worst result in Madrid in decades, she was able to form a governing coalition with Ciudadanos, backed externally by the far-right Vox. This marked the beginning of a political alignment with Vox that would become more explicit over time.
Ayuso’s national visibility exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Defying the PSOE–Podemos–led national government, she pushed back against lockdowns and framed Madrid as a stronghold of economic and personal freedom, refusing to close bars and restaurants and vocally opposing public health mandates. Conservative media in Spain and abroad elevated her as a symbol of anti-lockdown resistance. However, Madrid ultimately registered the highest excess mortality rate in the country, fueling criticism that her libertarian pandemic management prioritized optics over outcomes.
In 2021, Ayuso dissolved the regional government and called snap elections, running on the starkly polarized “Liberty or Communism.” Her campaign successfully consolidated the right-wing vote, delivering the PP a result just shy of an outright majority and pushing Ciudadanos out of the regional parliament. While the national PP continued to oscillate between collaboration and distance from Vox, Ayuso embraced the party more openly, publicly advocating for a governing coalition with Vox in Castile and León. Her position helped trigger the downfall of then-PP leader Pablo Casado, who had opposed a coalition government.
In the 2023 Madrid elections, Ayuso secured an absolute majority, solidifying her dominance in the region. Yet in the general elections that followed the strong regional results, the PP failed to enter the national government. Though Feijoó remained party leader, his tone and positioning began to mirror Ayuso’s, signaling her growing influence over the party’s strategic direction and ideological tenor.
