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Wednesday, September 03, 2025AI Put To Work on Santa Fe Mayoral Race; Grok Has Garcia With Early Lead But Race Is "Wide Open" With two term incumbent and progressive Democrat Alan Webber not seeking a third term and with no dominant name seeking to replace him, AI concludes what most human observers believe--that the race is wide open with City Councilor Michael Garcia perhaps having a slight edge in the early going. Here's Grok in Santa Fe: The 2025 Santa Fe mayoral election is shaping up to be a highly competitive race with no clear front runner at this stage. Incumbent Mayor Alan Webber has announced he will not seek a third term, leaving the field open for several candidates. Seven candidates have declared their bids: City Councilor Michael Garcia, former City Councilors JoAnne Vigil Coppler and Ron Trujillo, former city Finance Director Oscar Rodriguez, former county clerk candidate Leticia Montoya, and political consultant Tarin Nix. Additionally, County Commissioner Justin Greene has also announced his candidacy. A mysterious poll conducted in May 2025, reported by The New Mexican, indicated that a large majority of voters remain undecided, with City Councilor Michael Garcia leading among named candidates at 15% support. However, the poll’s origins are unclear, and its results should be treated with caution due to the lack of transparency about its methodology and sponsorship. The poll also highlighted voter dissatisfaction with current city leadership and identified key issues like crime, housing affordability, traffic, infrastructure, and homelessness as top concerns. Given the lack of definitive polling and the early stage of the campaign, it’s challenging to pinpoint a likely winner. Michael Garcia may have an edge as a current elected official in the race, potentially benefiting from name recognition and his position as a critic of the current administration. However, other candidates like JoAnne Vigil Coppler, who ran against Webber in 2021, and Oscar Rodriguez, with his experience in city and town management, could gain traction depending on their campaign strategies and voter outreach. Tarin Nix and Leticia Montoya, while less experienced in elected roles, are focusing on improving city services, which could resonate with voters frustrated by current conditions. The use of ranked-choice voting in Santa Fe means the winner will need to secure over 50% of the vote, either in the first round or through subsequent rounds of vote redistribution, which adds complexity to predicting an outcome. In summary, no candidate can be confidently named as the likely winner at this point. Michael Garcia appears to have an early lead based on limited polling, but the high number of undecided voters and the competitive field suggest the race is wide open. Not bad, Grok. You get a free software update for your efforts. That Councilor Garcia has stuck his neck above the field is not surprising. Debbie Jaramillo was elected mayor from the council in '94 and David Coss did the same in 2006. In 2014, Javier Gonzales was a Santa Fe County Commissioner when he became mayor. That history brings Commissioner Greene to the fore who Grok did not address. Greene is a favorite of the progressives and could give Garcia his stiffest challenge. Is the race going to come down to those two or will firebrand Ron Trujillo heat things up? Can either of the women contenders--Nix and Coppler Vigil--break out? Does dark horse Rodriguez catch a wave? To be continued. . . This is the Home of New Mexico Politics.
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