Albuquerque election results: our analysis

Mayor’s Race: Tim Keller and Darren White will face off in a runoff to conclude on December 9. Early voting will again be held in the upcoming weeks. Progressive Alexander Uballez has to be pleased with his strong performance at 19% with an incumbent “progressive” running for reelection. Louie Sanchez on the other hand was not able to make inroads with Darren White’s voters. Moving forward, will Uballez’ progressive voters show up in a runoff to vote for Keller who they obviously don’t like very much. Will White be able to boost his turnout in the runoff in order to defeat Keller?

Council Races: Incumbent republican leaning candidates performed well with Grout and Lewis winning reelection. Runoffs will be held in council districts 1 (West Side) and 3 (South Valley). In district 1 the race is between moderate Joshua Neal and “progressive” Stephanie Telles. District 3 will be a runoff between incumbent moderate Klarissa Peña and progressive Teresa Garcia.

Bonds: Albuquerque voters almost NEVER vote down bonds. This year was no different.

The election results were EXTREMELY slow this election. We are told that is because there were really long lines on Election Day at some polling places. We simply do not understand why more voters don’t take advantage of early voting.

Conclusion: The outcome of this election and Albuquerque’s future depends almost entirely on the runoff. A Keller victory alone ensures that city governance remains largely in the same place ideologically. A win by Darren White moves the city in a more conservative direction. A victory by Keller along with victories by Neal and Peña would move council slightly to the right. Victories by the “progressives” would move council and the City significantly to the left.