This article seeks to examine how Kirchnerism emerged and then dominated Argentine politics as the most powerful strand of Peronism since the early-2000s. Based on an analysis of the political, socio-economic and organizational-leadership attributes of classical Peronism and Menemism, the major argument of this study is that Kirchnerism, with its center-left agenda, has attempted to reclaim traditional Peronism by highlighting its focus on political sovereignty, economic independence and social justice, in contrast to Menemism, which emerged as a neoliberal interpretation of Peronism during the 1990s. However, the Kirchnerist opposition to Menemism at times remained mostly rhetorical, as revealed by the key similarities between these two in practice.