There's a quiet confidence among Democrats on this Election Eve in Albuquerque. They have good reason. 

While the mayoral campaign between incumbent Tim Keller and Republican challenger Darren White has been intense, the Democratic lean of the city is well-established.

Bernalillo county has been instrumental in turning New Mexico into a Democratic stronghold across the board. It has been years since a Republican has carried the state's largest county in a statewide race. 

The GOP has had slightly better luck in the city of ABQ, capturing the mayor's office in 2009 and 2013. 

But '09 featured a three way race with two Democrats splitting the vote, allowing RJ Berry to run up the middle. There was no runoff and Berry won with 44 percent. In '13 Berry was easily re-elected but the Dems did not make a serious bid to oust him. 

Keller received 56 percent of the vote in a three way race in 2021 and his opponents combined for 44 percent. With Keller's disapproval rating at 47 percent in the late September ABQ Journal poll, some weakening could be expected. Still, a Republican mayor remains only a small possibility. 

That mid-40 range is a wall of resistance for White. The contrast and partisan divide between the two mayoral candidates is so stark that getting enough Democrats to defect may be too much of an ask. To win he would have to do it with a unified GOP, a big victory with independents and whatever conservative Dems he could muster.

Democrats are quietly confident but not exuberant because of the emotional turmoil in the electorate over the stubborn homeless problem. It's an issue that could prompt more party switching than they anticipate.

THE DECIDING FACTOR

The most memorable moment of the campaign goes to the yellow sweatshirt episode. That's where an unidentified Keller foe(s) apparently paid for sweatshirts and had them handed out to the homeless. On them was emblazoned the slogan "I Love Tim Keller." 

While that gimmick grabbed attention, the runoff has been mainly over the 19 percent of the vote that progressive Dem Alex Uballez captured November 4.

That vote appears to have steadily come back to Democrat Keller, with the Working Families Party the most prominent example. Other progressive groups who supported Uballez are now also on board with the mayor. 

If Dems do indeed come home to Keller it will be the deciding factor of ABQ Election '25 and he will take an unprecedented third consecutive term. And it will be those returning progressives who will be first in line to receive his thanks. 

SWEATSHIRT ORIGIN

Where did those memorable bright yellow sweatshirts that Keller condemned and that White said spoke to frustration over the many homeless, come from?  There are clues in this KOB-TV report

The sweatshirts were handed out at God’s Warehouse, a nonprofit feeding the homeless, according to a man interviewed by KOB. Chuck Aragon, the pastor at God’s Warehouse, welcomed the distribution but did not organize it. “They were young guys, two Hispanic and one said he was from El Paso,” said Aragon. Aragon took a picture of one of the men, who was in a gold SUV with Texas plates, but did not get a name. 

TURNOUT 

The County Clerk reports 65,678 early votes with some 7,000 absentee votes still outstanding as of late Friday. If the pundits are surprised again and the Election Day vote equals early turnout we would come close to reaching the city election record 134,000 set Nov. 4. If voting Tuesday backs off, that number could settle considerably lower. 

What impact a higher or lower turnout means for Keller or White is complicated. But it's easy to be part of the turnout. Here is a list of city voting sites for tomorrow's runoff.

PREDICTION CORNER

KANW Election Night

No guarantees, of course, but it's always fun to get the election predictions of the veterans of La Politica. 

We start with Greg Payne, Santa Fe attorney, former ABQ city councilor and political consultant for GOP Gov. Gary Johnson and ABQ Dem Mayor Marty Chavez. Greg has been analyzing elections for your blog for years. About this one, he says:  

A 54 to 47 Keller win over White would be a moral victory for White and a real wake up call for Keller. A 60-40 win is what Keller needs to have anything close to a renewed mandate. Keller only received 36 percent in the Nov. election. ABQ would love to pick someone other than the mayor for a third term. But I don't think they want White either. It's literally the "lesser of two evils" election. My guess is we end tomorrow night with Keller at 57 percent and White at 43. 

Former GOP state senator, BernCo commissioner and ABQ City Councilor Michael Wiener says enthusiasm among Republican voters and Keller's weak approval rating are the ingredients for a possible upset by White. "If it happens it would be a squeaker, maybe less than a 1,000 vote win." 

ABQ Dem state Senator Moe Maestas looks for "a single digit win" by Keller.  

A word to the wise--don't take any of those predictions to the bank, but do join us tomorrow night at 6:30 on KANW 89.1 FM and KANW.ORG as voters settle the suspense and get the final say. 

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Keller

GOP problems are in the air nationally. Will they seep into next Tuesday's ABQ mayoral runoff election between Mayor Tim Keller and Republican Darren White: 

Republicans won Tuesday’s special election in Tennessee. But instead of celebrating, many are dreading what it means about the midterms. Republican Rep.-elect Matt Van Epps’ roughly nine point win marks a massive shift toward Democrats from 2024, when President Donald Trump carried the district by 22 points. That double digit swing — on the heels of crushing losses in off-year elections in November — could be a harbinger of what House Republicans will face in the midterms next year, members and strategists warned.

Keller's mayoral success has coincided with the rise of Trump. To clinch his first term in 2017 he won a runoff election against Trump supporter and City Councilor Dan Lewis 62 to 38. 

In 2021 against two Trump Republicans--Sheriff Manny Gonzales and radio talker Eddy Aragon--he claimed 56 percent of the vote to Gonzales's 26 and Aragon's 18.

White

White has done his best to separate from Trump, saying the election is no more about the president than it is Joe Biden. But Keller's media has tied White's tougher immigration enforcement stance to Trump and warned that accelerated ICE raids could be in store for ABQ, if White is elected. 

Meanwhile, early voting continues through Saturday. Republicans are happy with the turnout in far NE Heights Council District 8 where over 11 percent of registered voters have cast ballots early as of Wednesday. That's the most of any Council district.  

However, overall city turnout so far shows the majority Democrats casting 55 percent of the ballots to 30 percent for the R's and 15 percent from independents and minor parties. 

GAMING AN UPSET 

The only polling in the mayoral runoff came from the Keller campaign shortly after the polls closed Nov. 4 and showed that he would be in a runoff with White. Their GBAO survey had Keller with 45 percent and White at 38. The key point is that the poll presented a steep climb for White but did not put the race completely out of his reach. 

If White were to score an upset, it could open the floodgates for Republicans wanting to join next year's gubernatorial race and could also generate a credible GOP opponent(s) to take on US Sen. Ben Ray Lujan. Both contests are currently in the control of the Democrats but maintaining control of Bernalillo County is essential for that to continue. 

The ABQ Journal, which has cut back on its polling in recent years, did not conduct one for the runoff. That has added a bit more uncertainty about how the race will finally settle.   

All the questions will be answered when our panel gathers at the microphones of KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.org Tuesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. to bring you the very latest election results and analysis. We look forward to being with you.

HAALAND PREEMPTIVE 

There will be more air to breathe for the '26 gubernatorial candidates once the runoff in the state's largest city is put to rest, but that doesn't mean they aren't plowing ahead for the June primary. 

Deb Haaland's past struggles with alcohol are well known and there could be negative campaigning over her two DWI convictions that occurred before she found sobriety in 1988. 

Voters already considered the matter when they twice elected her to the ABQ congressional seat ('18 and '20) but in a heated Guv campaign the issue could still come up. In a text message to supporters Haaland comes with this preemptive statement:

I have achieved 35 years of sobriety Most people running for office wouldn't choose to speak candidly about alcohol addiction. But I'm not like most people running for office. I'm Deb Haaland - a 35th-generation New Mexican, proud member of the Laguna Pueblo, and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Now, I'm running to be the next Governor. My journey to sobriety taught me that you must face hard truths to make change which is why I'll never shy away from the tough fights that lie ahead for New Mexico. Crime, poverty, homelessness, and addiction are weighing heavy on our state, and I'm ready to tackle those challenges head-on as governor. Because I believe if we're brave, we can heal. I promise to be honest about topics that other politicians might try to sweep under the rug. 

Alcohol abuse and Native Americans has long been a stereotype among some voters (as it has for Irish-Americans). It's obviously a concern in the Haaland camp and getting out in front of it now could put it behind her. 

Haaland might further drive home her point about addiction and sobriety by refusing to take money from big liquor interests--which she has.

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A City Council runoff election that could determine whether a progressive majority takes over the nine member panel has divided two Democratic heavyweights. 

Deb Haaland, the favorite to win the '26 Dem gubernatorial nomination, is all in for longtime City Councilor Klairssa Peña while Sen, Martin Heinrich is putting his bank on Teresa Garcia. 

Haaland is showing loyalty to a longtime friend and shedding her progressive stripes to endorse the moderate Dem incumbent. As a progressive darling, Haaland has plenty of room to stray from the fold. 

Heinrich, nicknamed The First Endorser here for his many endorsements, is also making a low risk move by backing. Garcia. It solidifies him with the left wing where he resides more regularly than when he began in politics. 

The split endorsement is a reminder that Haaland in effect forced Heinrich out of the '26 Guv race by making an early announcement and that she has also endorsed Mayor Keller in his runoff next Tuesday with Darren White while Heinrich has not. 

While Haaland's future is here, Heinrich is known to still have his eye on perhaps becoming Secretary of Interior as Haaland did. Strong support from progressives could help. Heinrich's name was floated  for Interior when Biden was elected, but he went with Haaland so there is a lot of history between these two.

Peña has represented Council District 3 on the ABQ SW mesa for three terms and seeks a fourth. Garcia is running with the support of key progressive groups who appeared to boost turnout in the initial November 4  election  to a record high. 

Peña finished first with 42 percent, shy of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff, while Garcia was close behind with 37 percent and Chris Sedillo at 21.

Sedillo, a retired Navy Senior Chief Radioman who also styles himself a progressive, has endorsed Garcia. 

The race is considered close. Peña has long-standing community and family ties in the district but the same voter fatigue that has put the reins on Mayor Tim Keller is being seen in this race. 

Major issues in addition to crime are growth, affordable housing and land use. 

Housing and businesses have seen considerable growth the last decade for which Peña takes some credit. 

Garcia is wary of the developers that she points out have given Peña donations through their PAC 

We don't recall a progressive majority on the Council in recent years but one would likely result should Peña lose.

Progressive Stephanie Telles is in a runoff for the westside District 1 seat but is expected to have an easy go of it over GOP engineer Josh Neal because of the heavy Dem registration there. 

Telles would join Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rodgers, Joaquin Baca in the progressive wing. 

If Garcia wins that would make a majority of five progressives, giving pause to Mayor Keller and the development community.

The Alligators and others are already gaming out that possible outcome and believe that downtown Dem Councilor Joaquin Baca could become the swing vote and sometimes side with the R councilors. He is a progressive but has shown a pragmatic streak as well. 

Preventing a hard-left swing on the Council would be the goal of those concerned.

The four Republican Councilors--Lewis, Bassan, Champine and Grout--are in line to lose the most after next Tuesday's balloting. That alliance they have had with conservative Dem Sanchez is coming to an end mo matter the results.

Sanchez gave up his District 1 seat to run unsuccessfully for mayor. He hasn't shed his GOP ways. He has endorsed Republican O'Neal to succeed him. 

THEIR OWN WORDS 

My approach has always been to build bridges, not walls. I’ve worked with mayors and councilors across the political spectrum to get things done, and I’ll continue to lead with collaboration and results in mind.--Klairssa Peña  

I am committed to amplifying the voices of my constituents and working collaboratively to address priority issues like crime reform, support for small businesses, and infrastructure improvement. Teresa Garcia

GARCIA OWNS UP

After being busted by the ABQ Journal for lying on their candidate questionnaire by falsely saying she had never been arrested, Garcia is bowing to political reality. She has stopped her attacks on the media for covering the 2015 domestic violence arrest which was found not guilty of, saying: 

Under the belief her record was expunged, Garcia said: "I will hold myself accountable that because of my misunderstanding, I thought (the arrest record)  was gone, it wasn't, and I will take responsibility for that." She added had she known her arrest was still public record, she would have answered 'yes' on the questionnaire."

SWEATSHIRT CAPER (CONT.)

Reader react to the news of homeless people being spotted in yellow sweatshirts with the slogan: "I ♥ Tim Keller." Kelley of ABQ writes:

Joe, OMG, the yellow sweatshirts are disgraceful. I would not be surprised if this doesn’t hurt Darren White and help Mayor Keller. There are people who can see a problem, but acknowledge that these are human beings, God’s children. Not nothings. White talks “crime and homelessness” ad nauseum with no plan. He’s going to clear the tents, and then what?! My son is a new fireman, I remind him often that he’s a public servant everyday. All people are entitled to dignity, care and maybe sympathy. And if you can’t do that, then at least don’t ridicule and hate them.  

Reader Douglas Carver writes: 

Thank you for calling out the political stunt with the sweatshirts and the unhoused people in Albuquerque. You put it perfectly, especially how you closed: "[T]hey are people first--just like you and me--and homeless second." Amen to that. Thanks for keeping an eye on everything for all of us.

Both the White and Keller camp deny having anything to do with the sweatshirt caper. Keller condemns it as "disgraceful." White says it happened because of "frustration" with the homeless problem in the city. 

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Real estate interests led by the National Association of REALTORS® raised a stunning $566,0000 in PAC money to take down Mayor Tim Keller in this year's mayoral elections. 

The massive haul is making possible multiple mailers supporting Republican Darren White in the December 9 runoff election with Keller.

The messaging focuses on the former BernCo sheriff's ability to "keep ABQ families safe" and do not dive into issues related to housing or homelessness, ranked as the second most important issue to voters in a late September ABQ Journal poll. 

The national realtors group has by far donated most of the cash, coming with $249,000 last week. Others giving include the New Mexico Association of REALTORS PAC--$17,000 and the NM Restaurant Association--$10,000.

The real estate PAC, titled the Albuquerque Coalition for Transformation and National Association of REALTORS Fund, is also mailing in support of runoff candidates ABQ GOP City Council candidate Joshua Neal in westside District 1 and Dem City Councilor Klarissa Peña, seeking a fourth term in District 3 in ABQ's valley. 

But most of the money the PAC ends up spending will be to boost White. 

Independent voters appear to be in the PAC's sights. Some of our independent readers report receiving multiple mailers. 

Keller and White had their third and final TV debate last night again covering the familiar terrain of crime, homelessness and immigration enforcement  

THE HOUSING SCENE 

It's not as though the Keller administration has been an enemy of real estate developers. In fact, progressives have accused him and Councilor Pena of being too close to the development community.

The City Council in January with Keller's support approved more liberal zoning laws that, according to the city, paved the way for more housing in the city including:

More Housing Types Near Transit and Main Streets--Duplexes, townhomes, and apartments are now allowed in all residential zones within ¼ mile of Main Streets (i.e., segments of Central Ave, 4th Street, Broadway, and San Pedro) and ART station areas).

More Flexibility in Building Height--There are no height limits for apartments in the same ¼-mile radius, allowing for more housing near transit.

Easier Parking Requirements in Key Areas--Parking requirements have been reduced by 50% in Urban Centers, Activity Centers, Main Streets, and Major Transit Corridors. In Premium Transit areas, the reduction increases to 60%. 

(In 2023 the Council and Mayor) approved Casitas that are now allowed on existing residential properties, helping families create more flexible living space for relatives, renters, or caregivers.

Converting Commercial Buildings to Housing: Former office buildings, retail spaces, and other non-residential structures can now be more easily converted into apartments or other types of housing.

Meanwhile, while the city's population has slowed to a trickle in the last decade, property values have not suffered. The median sale price of a home is $365,000. 

While the real estate market is slowing here as elsewhere, over the last 25 years ABQ home values have had an annual average increase of 3.76 percent and in the last decade nearly double that rate, reports Venturi Realty.

HOMELESS HUNDREDS 

In contrast to those uplifting stats, there are the tent camps and hundreds of homeless that routinely congregate along Central Avenue in the SE Heights and the homeless seeking donations from drivers at street medians across the city. 

The seeming omnipresence of the homeless has been a focus of White's who has pledged that homeless camps will be gone on "day one" of his administration.

Continued high crime is a key issue for the development community. If people don't see ABQ as safe they will not move here and many will move out. The city has experienced both even as home sales and prices have avoided recession. 

Keller points to the multitude of expensive programs he has undertaken to lessen the problem, citing the Gateway Center for the homeless as the centerpiece. White was said by the newspaper as having no specific programs in mind to address housing. 

Keller points to the outbreak of fentanyl that fundamentally changed the homeless equation, making addiction more rapid, powerful and stubborn to resolve. He says arresting more drug dealers is one solution but has not specified plans.

White has talked little of fentanyl but has concentrated on crime in general and his promise to "clean up the city."

Messaging from city real estate interests has been dominated in the media by Republican investor Doug Petersen who owns a number of properties along Central and elsewhere and who for years has been one of Keller's most vociferous critics. 

However, Petersen and his social media allies have not offered nuanced programs to resolve the complicated homeless dilemma. They see it as a public safety issue and instead often post photos of the homeless taking drugs or committing acts of vandalism at or near his properties.

Other more moderate and well-known voices in the real estate community such as developer Dale Dekker, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (formerly NAIOP) and the ABQ Chamber of Commerce have been quiet during this mayoral campaign, leaving the floor to the hard-right Petersen and now the out-of-state realtors PAC.

AI AND DIRTY TRICKS

Artificial intelligence has made its way into the ABQ mayoral race. A two minute video is circulating that uses Mayor Keller's voice to mock himself and his administration while showing scenes of crime and homeless camps. An excerpt:

People say the streets are dangerous but I traverse them daily. Well, I drive through with security windows up, doors locked but spiritually I am there. You see tents. I see rustic open air innovation lasbs.You see carjackings. I see spontaneous community led vehicle redistribution. It'd all about re-framing through an esoteric lens of progress. . . Downtown? Still physically present. That counts. Yes, businesses left but that is the invisible hand of revitalization clearing space for plywood, pop-ups and prophetic chalk art. . .

The AI voice is identical to that of Keller's and his critics will chuckle over the clever self-ridicule of the mayor but it does raise make one wonder about more subtle and advanced AI applications moving into campaigns. Will voters still be able to sort out what is real and what isn't? They won't be chuckling over it. That's for sure.

SWEATSHIRT CAPER

There's another final days dirty trick making the rounds--multiple homeless people wearing "I ♥ Tim Keller" yellow sweatshirts and pictured in unflattering circumstances. Keller called the sweatshirt caper "disgraceful. White said his campaign had nothing to do with the incident and that it grew out of "frustration" with the homeless. The Koch-brothers financed conservative Rio Grande Foundation posted the sweatshirt photos, saying:

Mayor Keller as mayor has certainly done his “best” to worsen the homeless situation in Albuquerque. Our favorite photo is of the top-left individual standing next to a burning pile of debris on the sidewalk in front of Renaissance Painting.

We don't have "a favorite." It's off-putting to see people down on their luck ridiculed and taken advantage of for political purposes. Where is the humor in the plight of tens of thousands of Americans living on our streets? Being numbed to their individual suffering can be understood as the problem persists, but they are people first--just like you and me--and homeless second. 

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ABQ River of Lights

Early voting for the ABQ runoff election and one more TV debate between the mayoral contenders is on tap this first day of December when the focus starts on the holidays and candidates have to scramble to get their attention. 

Headed into the holiday mayoral hopeful Darren White released a minute long digital ad that highlights Mayor Keller's statements since taking office in 2017 in which he repeatadly says crime is headed down. 

"Haven't we heard this before," a narrator asks?  We cannot have a safer city until we own our problems and hold our leaders accountable for reducing crime and that begins with the mayor." 

White ads: 

POST ELECTION CHECKUP

Bernalillo County Clerk Michelle Kavanaugh and Bureau of Elections Administrator Nathan Jaramillo are pictured at the Voting Machine Warehouse as they supervise a post-election voting machine check following the statewide November 4 local elections. 

The County says:

This state-mandated process verifies the accuracy of machine-counted results and is required after every statewide election. The check includes multiple steps of ballot verification, overseen by a District Court Judge.  

“Post-election audits are one of the most important transparency tools. . .It is a standard requirement that ensures every machine-counted ballot is verified." said Clerk Kavanaugh.

Bipartisan teams conduct a hand tally of selected contests, compare them  to original machine-counted totals and investigate and resolve any discrepancies.

Thanks for stopping by today. Happy Thanksgiving, New Mexico!

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Darren White went from pugnacious bulldog in the first mayoral TV debate where he staged a full frontal attack on Mayor Tim Keller to last night's final TV face off where he turned himself into a tame house cat. (Video excerpts and complete transcript here.)

Maybe the former sheriff was purring too much and barking too little. In one of his questions to the mayor he softballed him by asking whether he felt the programs he had pursued were cost effective for taxpayers.  Keller swatted that away like a bothersome gnat, saying "yes, they have." 

Well, we're certainly glad to learn that. Thanks, Darren.

White did seem to get under the mayor's skin by answering just about very question by talking about crime. Keller reminded the audience that his foe was given votes of no confidence by two police agencies he presided over.  

'21 GOP mayoral candidate and White supporter Eddy Aragon said White made some progress since his widely panned performance on the KRQE-TV debate:

Keller is focused on White. White is focused on the city. A complete 180’ from last debate.

Veteran analyst and Santa Fe attorney Greg Payne thought the holiday week debate may not have registered much with the electorate, saying: "Their attention is elsewhere."

Well, there was that little thing called Monday Night Football airing at the same time as the debate. 

As for the elephant in the room--Donald Trump--White did his best to keep that yoke off his neck. Keller asked him: "Do you support Donald Trump?" White, addressing an issue that could literally cost him thousands of votes in Democratic ABQ, came with a well-rehearsed answer for Keller:

You are so desperate to cling to power you will say absolutely anything including attaching labels to me that are not true. I have been very critical of Trump. Hell, it's been in the newspapers. I have been fiercely independent and that's the way I will lead. You have to resort to Donald Trump because your record is that of failure. 

Point made and taken. It's true that White has not been keen on Trump but Keller's ICE ads that are scaring the bejesus out of Dems are out there in all their anti-Trump glory. 

Speaking of ads, Keller came with a softie for one of his last, but the tag line reminded everyone of the aforementioned elephant on the ballot: 

Even with violence threatened from Washington, I'll never stop defending Albuquerque.

Much of the debate was consumed with the now broken record themes of crime and homelessness with no new ground broken by either hopeful. The newspaper accurately termed it a "rehashing."

TV GAMES

KOAT did not stream the heavily promoted debate on their website as it ran on the air at 7 p.m. and it was still not up on the site an hour after the hour-long debate. Later, excerpts were posted on the site and YouTube but not the complete debate. Why not? And annoyed readers noted they had to wade through numerous commercials to get the snippets of content posted.

We're told management did not want to post the debate until later because viewers could scan though candidate statements before they ran on TV. Say what? You can't stream on the website what is going out over the air? And even if you can't is management fearful political operatives will get a statement out before the debate is over? Who cares? No wonder the cords are being cut. 

Then there's the station's new policy of pre-recording their debates instead of conducting them live. The debate aired last night was recorded at 1 p.m. 

Then there was the station's misstep in the first mayoral debate they hosted in October when they did not invite all six candidates running and instead hosted only the four who polled best.

The Journal co-hosts the KOAT debates. Maybe the ink-stained wretches should take over from the talking heads. 

MAYOR RUSK DIES 

Former ABQ Mayor David Rusk is most remembered as an advocate for public transit--he took the bus from his SE Heights home to City Hall most work days--and for weeds that grew out of control in street medians that the city could not or would not cut down.

The latter was a major reason why Rusk, who served as Mayor from 1977-'81, lost his re-election by coming in third place. (More on that below).

Of course he is also known for other reasons--as the son of Secretary of State Dean Rusk who served under LBJ--and for his erudite approach to urban policy, a field he established his career in after serving as mayor. 

Rusk's death was confirmed by City Hall. He was 85.

Rusk, who we covered as a radio news reporter for KRZY-KRST, was a Democratic liberal through and through. His youthful exuberance--at 37 he was the youngest mayor elected under the current form of government--was key to his election in 1977 when he defeated the more staid and Republican Mayor Harry Kinney. 

The focus that he brought to urban planning and making cities more livable evaded him on the campaign trail. Despite mixing with the public on his daily bus rides, he came across a bit aloof and not of the common man--which he wasn't having been born and raised in the East Coast establishment. 

Following his single mayoral term Rusk went to work for PNM and eventually relocated to DC. From where he spoke and consulted on urban policy across the nation and authored books on the topic.

Earlier this year the city of ABQ honored Rusk with the dedication of ABQ RIDE’s original transit facility and the Kimo Theatre's orchestra pit. Both now bear his name, 

Rusk, who also served a term in the state House ('75-'77), was an ardent support of downtown and the historic Kimo located there. He was  instrumental in getting a bond issue passed to renovate the striking southwestern "movie palace" to ensure its future viability. Thanks to his efforts it remains one of our state's most iconic and beloved structures.

But what now is seen as a signature accomplishment was seriously attacked back then by competing mayoral candidates at least one of whom wanted to tear down the Kimo. And Rusk's overall spotty record often has him tagged as well-intentioned but largely ineffectual.

The streak of populism that coursed through ABQ in '81 was accompanied by similar tones in Ronald Reagan's new presidency, leaving Rusk vulnerable. Harry Kinney, who Rusk defeated in '77, won the mayor's office back in a run-off election with populist KOB-TV personality Gordon Sanders. (Mark Ronchetti would come much later.)

David Rusk had vision, brains and was a little ahead of his time, all of which earned him his own chapter in the never ending book of La Politica. 

THE YEAR WAS 1981

Joe Monahan (2025)

Here's blog report a we penned in 2022, recounting the 1981 mayoral election. On the occasion of Mayor Rusk's passing, we run excerpts today: