2017 Albuquerque mayoral election
The 2017 Albuquerque mayoral election was a nonpartisan election, held on October 3 and November 14, 2017, to choose the next mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Richard J. Berry, the incumbent mayor, did not seek reelection. This was the first mayoral election in Albuquerque without an incumbent candidate in twenty years. All candidates ran on the same ballot. No candidate reached 50% of the vote in the initial round held on October 3, and so a runoff election was held November 14 between the top two finishers.[1]
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The race was non-partisan (i.e., party affiliations do not appear on the ballot).[2] However, "although the election is nonpartisan, a candidate’s political affiliation obviously can play a role in the campaign."[1] In order to appear on the ballot, a candidate must collect 3,000 signatures from Albuquerque registered voters and submit them to the city clerk's office.[3]
The maximum allowed campaign contribution that may be given to a candidate is $5,193 per person or company, which is 5% of the mayor's salary.[4]
Alongside the mayoral election, five seats of the city council were up for re-election. Incumbent councillors Ken Sanchez (District 1), Klarissa Peña (District 3), Diane G. Gibson (District 7) and Don Harris (District 9) were re-elected. In the 5th district, Cynthia Borrego, who ran as a Democrat, won the runoff against Robert Aragon, who ran as a Republican for state auditor in 2014. The 5th district seat was vacated by Dan Lewis, who ran for mayor.
Primary election
Declared
- Ricardo Chaves (Republican), founder of Parking Company of America[5]
- Brian Colón (Democratic), former chairman of the Democratic Party of New Mexico[5]
- Michelle Garcia Holmes (Independent), former chief of staff for the Attorney General's Office, retired Albuquerque police detective[5]
- Wayne Johnson (Republican), Bernalillo County Commissioner[5]
- Tim Keller (Democratic), State Auditor[6][7][5]
- Dan Lewis (Republican), City Councilor[5]
- Augustus "Gus" Pedrotty (Democratic), University of New Mexico undergraduate student[5]
- Susan Wheeler-Deichsel (Independent), co-founder of civic group Urban ABQ[8][5]
Did not qualify
- Eddy Aragon (Independent), conservative talk radio show host on KIVA 95.9 FM[7]
- Lamont Davis[5]
- Rachel Golden, movie theater worker[4][5]
- Stella Anne Padilla (Democratic), retired Old Town resident[5][4][8]
Withdrew
- Deanna Archuleta (Democratic), former Bernalillo County Commissioner and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the Department of the Interior[4][2][5][9]
- Elan Colello (Democratic), CEO of a virtual reality company[4][8][3]
- Scott Madison (Democratic), Kirtland Air Force Base/Sandia National Laboratories nuclear weapons program worker [8][3]
- Ian Page[5]
- Jacob Shull[5]
Declined
- Richard J. Berry (Republican), incumbent mayor[1]
- Pete Dinelli (Democratic), former city councilor and local prosecutor, unsuccessful candidate for mayor in 2013 and 1989[10]
- James Lewis (Democratic), president of the Alumni Association of the University of New Mexico, former state treasurer[10]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tim Keller | 38,156 | 39.35 | |
| Republican | Dan Lewis | 22,238 | 22.93 | |
| Democratic | Brian Colón | 15,884 | 16.38 | |
| Republican | Wayne Johnson | 9,342 | 9.63 | |
| Democratic | Augustus Pedrotty | 6,638 | 6.84 | |
| Independent | Michelle Garcia Holmes | 3,748 | 3.86 | |
| Independent | Susan Wheeler-Deichsel | 490 | 0.50 | |
| Republican | Ricardo Chaves | 475 | 0.49 | |
| Total votes | 96,971 | 100.00 | ||
Runoff election
Candidates
- Tim Keller, State Auditor
- Dan Lewis, City Councilor
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Tim Keller |
Dan Lewis |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll Strategies | October 4, 2017 | - | ± 4.1% | 49% | 36% | 14% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tim Keller | 60,219 | 62.20 | |
| Republican | Dan Lewis | 36,594 | 37.80 | |
| Total votes | 96,813 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
References
- McKay, Dan (December 5, 2016). "ABQ likely to see unusual race for mayor". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- McKay, Dan (May 4, 2016). "Albuquerque's mayoral race has its first candidate". Albuquerque Journal.
- Andy Lyman, Long list of potential ABQ mayoral candidates as signature deadline approaches, NM Political Report (April 26, 2017).
- Martin Salazar, Money already pouring into mayor's race, Albuquerque Journal (April 18, 2017).
- Martin Salazar, 9 of 16 mayoral candidates qualify for ballot, Albuquerque Journal (April 28, 2017).
- Terrell, Steve. "State auditor enters race for Albuquerque mayor". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- Dan McKay, State auditor announces bid for ABQ mayor, Albuquerque Journal (January 11, 201).
- Olivier Uyttebrouck, Wheeler-Deichsel enters race for Albuquerque mayor, Albuquerque Journal (February 17, 2017).
- Marie C. Baca, Archuleta drops out of Albuquerque mayor’s race, Albuquerque Journal (May 26, 2017).
- Marie C. Baca, Dinelli decides to skip mayor’s race, Albuquerque Journal (February 1, 2017).
- "Bernalillo County, New Mexico, USA - Unofficial Election Results". app.bernco.gov. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.