He thought he had long since eliminated any serious opposition at home; however, Francisco I. Madero, an academic from a rich family, decided to run against him and quickly gathered popular support, despite Díaz's putting Madero in jail.
Han mente at han for længst havde udelukket alle seriøse modstandere i Mexico; men Francisco I. Madero, en akademiker fra en velhavende familie, valgte at stille op som modkandidat og fik hurtigt udbredt støtte i befolkningen, selvom Díaz fængslede ham.