Trump nominates former New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce to lead Bureau of Land Management

President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated former New Mexico Congressman and former Republican Party Chair Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, selecting a longtime public lands critic to oversee 245 million acres of federal property. Pearce, 78, who last held public office in 2018, has opposed expanding national monuments and has advocated […]

Chaves County commissioners unanimously endorse Wilson for open State Senate seat 

Reporting from Roswell, NM — Former Lincoln County Commissioner Rex Wilson could soon be representing three southeastern New Mexico counties in the Legislature after officials in Chaves County recommended him as their choice to fill an open state Senate seat.  On Wednesday, the Chaves County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to send the name of […]

Keller leads White in first poll in mayor’s runoff

Minutes after general election results showed the top two mayoral candidates headed to a runoff, an outside group supporting incumbent Mayor Tim Keller shared polling with City Desk showing Keller with an early advantage over former Sheriff Darren White. Ascend ABQ PAC polled 400 likely voters Oct. 16 -19 in anticipation of a runoff election. […]

And then there were two: Keller, White head to December runoff for mayor

Mayor Tim Keller and former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White are headed to a December runoff after no candidate secured the majority needed to win outright Tuesday. Keller led at 36% and White at 31% with a majority of votes counted at 10 p.m. Since Albuquerque adopted its current mayoral system in the mid-1970s, no […]

Union-backed candidates win 2 of 4 APS board seats, shifting board balance

Teacher union-backed candidates won two of four Albuquerque Public Schools board races Tuesday, with Rebecca Betzen defeating board president Danielle Gonzales and Warigia Bowman winning in District 6. Business-backed candidates held onto seats in Districts 5 and 7, capping the most expensive school board election in district history. The results shift the balance of power […]

Dem. Telles and GOP Neal headed to runoff for Westside council seat

Voters in Albuquerque’s Westside District 1 can keep their campaign yard signs up for another few weeks. Dem. Stephanie Telles and GOP’s Joshua Neal will face off in a December runoff for the District 1 City Council seat after no candidate won a majority Tuesday in the four-way race for the central Westside district. With […]

Lewis wins re-elect, dampening Dem plans for council pickup

City Councilor Dan Lewis held his District 5 seat Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Athenea Allen in a contest Democrats had hoped would help flip control of the council’s conservative majority. With all 687 precincts partially reporting in District 5, Dan Lewis led with 5,869 votes, or 53%. Athenea Allen had 5,143 votes, or 47%. Lewis, […]

Fiebelkorn, Grout easily win council re-election

City Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn and Renée Grout won reelection Tuesday, with Fiebelkorn running unopposed in District 7 and Grout defeating challenger Colton Newman in District 9. District 7 In District 7, incumbent Fiebelkorn appears to have easily won reelection with 11,853 votes as of 10:00 PM Tuesday, though write-in votes for challenger Jaemes Shanley had […]

Peña misses 50% mark to avoid runoff in District 3 race

City Councilor Klarissa Peña missed the 50% threshold needed to avoid a December runoff Tuesday, with 58% of District 3 voters choosing other candidates in a three-way race that will likely pit her against challenger Teresa Garcia. With all 687 precincts partially reporting in District 3, Klarissa Peña led with 2,602 votes or 42%. Teresa […]

Same-day voter registration boosts turnout for local elections

By Noah Gollin, NM Political Report — Almost 6,000 voters used New Mexico’s same day voting process to participate in local elections statewide on Tuesday. About half of those exercised that option in Bernalillo County where a competitive mayor’s race and contested council and school board races drew higher-than-normal turnout for local elections. Voters who […]