Political Action Committees (PACs) spent more than $132,000 during the three-week runoff election sprint to influence Albuquerque’s three runoff races as early voting kicked off this week, with the mayor’s race drawing most of the outside money just days before voters decide the Dec. 9 contests. The mayoral race drew more than $101,000 in PAC […]
Category: Communities
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Who is turning out to vote in the runoff? We checked the numbers
With just four days of early voting left before Election Day 2.0, about 32,000 Albuquerque voters have cast ballots in the city’s Dec. 9 runoff election, with Democrats turning out at significantly higher rates than Republicans. Of the 31,926 ballots cast by late afternoon Tuesday, 18,132 came from early voting sites and 13,794 were absentee […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Uballez urges votes for Keller, sort of
When Alex Uballez lost his bid for mayor in Nov., he quickly endorsed candidates in two of the city’s three runoff elections, both for Westside council seats, scheduled a month later — but not for mayor. That changed, sort of, this past weekend when Uballez penned a lukewarm endorsement of his former rival in the […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Who is giving the homeless “I ♥ Tim Keller” hoodies?
Albuquerque social media accounts have been filling up with photos of homeless persons in the International District sporting bright yellow hoodies printed with “I ♥ Tim Keller” in large letters across the front, but no one is taking responsibility for the stunt. Photos were first shared with City Desk on Wednesday of persons wearing the […]
Posted inOpinion, Sandoval County
Commentary: From conflict to collaboration — How a New Mexico transmission line will protect power delivery and prairie chickens
Opinion in New Mexico Political ReportIn his role as Executive Director for Audubon Southwest, Jon Hayes oversees the National Audubon Society’s operations in Arizona and New Mexico—including two nature centers, a research ranch, and a team of scientists, educators, and advocates all working to advance bird conservation in the Southwest. The Crossroad-Hobbs-Roadrunner Transmission Project, a 345 […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Outside groups spent over $1 million to influence ABQ’s elections in 2025
In the months before a federal judge struck down part of the city’s election transparency laws last week, outside groups had already spent more than one million dollars to influence Albuquerque elections in 2025. A City Desk analysis of city campaign finance data shows that Albuquerque’s 2025 local elections were among the most expensive in […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Who’s funding Albuquerque’s runoff campaigns? Voters may never know
A federal judge this week struck down Albuquerque’s donor disclosure rules for advocacy groups that spend money in city elections, opening the door for thousands or even millions of dollars in anonymous cash to flood the Dec. 9 runoff with early voting starting in 10 days. U.S. District Judge James Browning ruled Wednesday that Albuquerque’s […]
Posted inCourts, Justice & Safety
Firefighters rescue one after sudden home explosion in NE Heights
Albuquerque firefighters are searching for the cause of an overnight explosion that blew out the side of a residential home in the Los Altos neighborhood near Eubank and Lomas NE. According to details from the Albuquerque Fire Rescue Department, an explosion was reported at 10:33 p.m. Firefighters found one home seriously damaged and another nearby. […]
Reader-supported
Dark money and developer dollars fuel District 3 runoff battle between Peña, Garcia
Competing visions of campaign finance transparency are front and center in Albuquerque’s City Council District 3 runoff election where outside money is pouring in and each candidate is calling out the other’s supporters for unnecessary big money influence in a relatively small city council runoff race. Klarissa Peña, the longest-serving member on the council currently, […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, Sandoval County
Outside groups waste no time raising big bucks for city runoff elections
Business groups, labor unions and a handful of individual donors wasted no time writing more big checks in the first two weeks of the four week city runoff election sprint to Election Day. Campaign finance reports show that outside groups deposited more than $51,000 in new contributions from the day after regular elections ended, Nov. […]