City Councilor Louie Sanchez, a registered Democrat who has often agitated Democrats by aligning with a conservatives on the council, says a young Republican candidate running in his open Westside seat is his choice for someone who will “collaborate across party lines.”
Sanchez announced on social media Thursday that he was endorsing Republican Joshua Neal in the Dec. 9 runoff in the City Council District 1 race against Democrat Stephanie Telles.
While technically nonpartisan, city candidates have traditionally leaned into their party affiliations and voter trends in council elections typically follow party registration.
Sanchez chose to run for mayor in 2025 instead of pursuing a second term to his Westside seat. Sanchez received just 7% of the mayoral vote. His campaign was heavily funded by personal loans and oil and gas companies with connections to traditional Republican donors.
District 1, which includes a large chunk of Westside Albuquerque roughly north of I-40 and south of Paseo del Norte, was hotly contested without an incumbent on the ballot. Telles and Neal beat out two other candidates to advance to the runoff.
Share this story and start a conversation
Every vote counts
We get it: We know voting is a civic duty, but there are a lot of people and questions on our local ballot we don’t keep up with or even know, and we don’t want to make a bad decision.
At City Desk, we’re committed to helping readers understand how City Hall works by explaining how local decisions are made and introducing readers to the decision makers and candidates working to earn your vote. In an age of shrinking local newsrooms, it’s good to know ABQ has a credible source like City Desk on the beat.