| Mayoral Races | ||||
| City | Mayoral Candidate | Results | ||
| Albuquerque | Timothy Keller* | Runoff | ||
| Darren White | ||||
| Santa Fe | Michael J. Garcia | Winner | ||
| City Council Races | ||||
| City | District | Candidate | Results | |
| Albuquerque | District 1 | Stephanie Telles | Runoff | |
| Joshua Taylor Neal | ||||
| Albuquerque | District 3 | Teresa Garcia* | Runoff | |
| Klarissa J. Peña | ||||
| Albuquerque | District 5 | Dan Lewis* | Winner | |
| Albuquerque | District 7 | Tammy Fiebelkorn* | Winner | |
| Albuquerque | District 9 | Renée Grout* | Winner | |
| Las Cruces | District 3 | Michael James Harris* | Winner | |
| Las Cruces | District 5 | Becky Ann Corran* | Winner | |
| Las Cruces | District 6 | John P. Muñoz* | Winner | |
| Santa Fe | District 1 | Patricia Feghali | Winner | |
| Santa Fe | District 2 | Elizabeth Barrett* | Winner | |
| Santa Fe | District 3 | Lee Garcia | Winner | |
| Santa Fe | District 4 | Amanda Camille Chavez | Winner | |
*Endorsed by APV
Note: there was no mayoral contest in Las Cruces this election year.
Congratulations to all those who won their races, and a special tip of our hat to APV endorsed candidates who crossed the finish line on November 4th (APV endorsed candidates indicated by asterisks above). We look forward to working with each and every one of them in the days to come.
Turning now to the runoffs: In elections where none of the candidates received a majority (more than 50%) of the vote, the top two vote-getting candidates go to a one-on-one runoff election to determine the winner. The candidate who receives the majority of votes in the runoff is declared the winner.
Determining winners via runoff elections differs from the system that both Santa Fe and Las Cruces use for city elections–which is called “ranked choice voting.” Ranked choice voting provides what can be referred to as an “instant runoff” on election night. In the first round of counting votes, if no one candidate receives a majority, the lowest vote-receiving candidate is eliminated. Voters who chose that eliminated candidate as their first choice will now have their second choice counted as their vote. This process of eliminating candidates with the least votes continues round after round, until one candidate emerges with a majority vote win. Ranked choice voting is put forward as a way to avoid the delay and expense associated with runoff elections.
In Albuquerque, incumbent Tim Keller, seeking a third term, will face Darren White in a runoff for Mayor on December 9th. APV continues to endorse Keller based on his strong animal protection record (at both the local and state levels). Before being elected to Mayor in 2017, Keller served two terms in the New Mexico State Senate, where he earned a 100% lifetime score for his positive voting record on animal issues. As Mayor, Keller led improvements to the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department, eliminated a staggering backlog of 2,300 animal-related calls, and signed a resolution condemning coyote-killing contests. More recently, he presided over the opening of Albuquerque’s first Preventative Pet Care Clinic and supported strengthening the HEART ordinance against illegal animal sales.
In addition to the mayoral runoff, there will also be a runoff for Albuquerque City Council District 1. Previously, APV endorsed candidate Ahren Griego in the four-way race for that seat on November 4th. Mr. Griego did not receive enough votes, however, to advance to the runoff.
APV endorses candidate Stephanie Telles for City Council District 1 for the December runoff. Telles, who publicly supported House Bill 113 (which created the Animal Welfare Program Fund to bolster animal care and control across New Mexico) has voiced strong support for APV priorities, including strengthening access to affordable spay/neuter services.
APV endorsed candidate Teresa Garcia will face incumbent Klarissa J. Peña in a runoff on December 9th for City Council District 3. Garcia, who chairs the city’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Commission, has a deep understanding of the link between domestic abuse and animal cruelty, and has also vowed to use her position to promote New Mexicans’ access to affordable spay/neuter.
APV urges Burqueños to cast their vote for the above endorsed candidates in December.
Important Dates for the Albuquerque Runoff Elections:
- November 25: Last day to request an absentee ballot
- December 1: First day of early voting
- December 6: Last day of early voting
- December 9: Runoff election day
Click here to see Albuquerque polling locations.
For those who don’t have to return to the polls, consider reaching out to your newly elected officials to congratulate them on their win. And of course, watch this space for more updates, and Thank You for pulling the lever for humane candidates.
Your support is critical to passing animal protection laws and ordinances.
Please consider making a gift today to Animal Protection Voters or—better yet—become a monthly donor. Your support helps ensure Animal Protection Voters can continue changing the laws that change lives for all New Mexico’s animals.
