With one week left before Albuquerque’s municipal elections, Mayor Tim Keller is spending down his taxpayer-funded warchest as he floods local airwaves with campaign ads and remains ahead of his opponents in last minute spending.
An analysis of city campaign finance reports by City Desk found that last Keller shelled out $94,000 for television spots in a single 10-day stretch, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
The sharp spending gap underscores Keller’s financial edge as a publicly funded candidate. His $755,000 war chest — all taxpayer money — has allowed him to dominate TV advertising in the final days before the Nov. 4 election.
Keller’s challengers, and council candidates in smaller races, are relying on cheaper tactics like mailers, digital ads and door-knocking to reach voters.
Two publicly financed council incumbents, despite each holding more than $30,000 in their accounts — Tammy Fiebelkorn (District 7) and Renée Grout (District 9) — haven’t reported spending a cent in recent weeks, according to the City Clerk’s office.
Different strategies for mayor
Keller, the only candidate to qualify for public financing, spent big funds with one firm as Election Day nears. His eighth disclosure report, filed Oct. 20, shows that 99.6% of his recent spending went to Buying Time, a media buying firm. Keller qualified for more than $755,000 in taxpayer funding and still holds $187,168 in cash.
Reports show that his challengers, operating with far smaller budgets, are taking a range of approaches. While all candidates had filed reports on Oct. 20, as of Monday afternoon, only some candidates had filed additional reports of spending in the final weeks.
Mayling Armijo went all-in on direct mail, spending $23,688 — almost all of it with Political Print Guru for postage and mailing — leaving $10,335 in her account, according to her Oct. 26 disclosure.
Louie Sanchez split his remaining $36,444 between digital ads and field outreach, paying DGJ Solutions $25,000 for online advertising and $11,440 for canvassing. According to his Oct. 20 disclosure, he has $40,779 left in reserve.
Alex Uballez reported $31,166 in spending, with 87% paid to Nepantla Strategies for professional services, plus printing and mail costs. He has $56,835 remaining, according to his latest disclosure.
Darren White used a mix of mail and TV advertising, spending $17,407 on mailers through McCleskey Media Strategies run by Jay McCleskey, a Republican operative who managed campaigns for former Governor Susana Martinez and Mark Ronchetti, and $5,670 on television spots with SRCP Media. He still holds $139,622 in cash, according to his Oct. 20 eighth disclosure.
Eddie Varela, meanwhile, has spent just $37 on food and is running virtually no active campaign. According to his eighth disclosure, there is $8,383 left in his account heading into the final week.
Council candidates focus on mail, if anything
District 1 on the Westside has become the biggest spending battleground in Albuquerque’s City Council races, with four candidates taking distinctly different approaches to reach voters, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
Daniel Leiva led the field with $16,556 in spending, including $9,000 for digital ads through Stomping Ground Strategies and $3,515 for postage, his Oct. 27 filing shows. Publicly financed candidate Ahren Griego spent $9,744, mostly on mailers through Bosque Strategies, while privately financed Stephanie Telles reported $4,344, largely on mailing through Mail Quick. Their Oct. 20 disclosures reflect the latest wave of campaign activity. Joshua Neal reported $1,723 in spending, though his Oct. 27 report did not itemize costs.
In District 3, publicly financed incumbent Klarissa Peña spent $4,049, including $2,000 with Corsair Communications for advertising and $1,850 with Bosque Strategies for consulting, her Oct. 27 report shows. Among her two challengers, Chris Sedillo’s biggest expenditure was $18,053 on mailings and Teresa Garcia spent just $97, mostly on gas and food for volunteers, according to her disclosure on Oct. 22.
In District 5, incumbent Dan Lewis spent $21,022, with $16,455 going to McCleskey Media Strategies for campaign literature and mailers. His Oct. 14 filing covered an earlier reporting period. However, a city clerk’s spokesperson said a system glitch is preventing his most recent report from appearing online. Challenger Athenea Allen spent $761, including $498 with Don Mickey Designs for printing, according to her Oct. 27 disclosure.
In District 7, publicly financed incumbent Tammy Fiebelkorn reported no spending in her Oct. 20 filing despite having $34,092 in cash on hand. Her write-in challenger, Jaemes Shanley, spent $3,870, with nearly all of it — $3,770 — going to Campaign Management Strategies for advertising, according to his Oct. 27 report.
In District 9, publicly financed incumbent Renée Grout also reported no spending in her Oct. 26 disclosure, even with $33,533 on hand. Challenger Colton Newman spent $7,174, all of it with Mission Control for direct mail, according to his Oct. 20 filing.
What’s next
As of Monday afternoon, four mayoral candidates — Tim Keller, Louie Sanchez, Darren White, and Eddie Varela — had yet to file their ninth disclosure reports, which are due by 5 p.m., according to the City Clerk’s campaign finance portal.
Candidates are required to submit new reports every Monday leading up to Election Day on Nov. 4, according to the city’s candidate calendar. This story will be updated as additional filings are posted.
