Thursday, October 23, 2025Keller Clashes With "Day One Darren" At Final Media Meeting Of ABQ Mayoral Campaign, Plus: In Santa Fe Senators Endorse Mayor Front-Runner Garcia; Race Shutting Down? And: Monahan-Aragon Deep Dive On Mayor Election And State Of City Keller's nickname for White is Day One Darren, based on his repeated declarations about what he would do as mayor on his first day in office, particularly his assertion that homeless encampments would be shut down on "Day One." Keller scoffs at any mayor's ability to do that thus the White nickname. He was given more ammo for that assertion with a NM Supreme Court ruling that thwarts the Keller administration's efforts to get tougher on homeless camps. But White, at a 90 minute media session featuring all six mayor hopefuls, set up a clash between the two that could be the first of many if Keller and White meet for that expected December 9 run-off. Here's the closing statements made by each. WHITE: Before you go vote ask yourself this question, what is Tim Keller going to do in 12 years that he hasn't done in eight. If I'm elected I will only serve four years. I'm not trying to pad my political career or punch my ticket to higher office. Mayor Keller is running to save his political career. I'm running to save our city. Mayor, today I noticed you started referring to me as Day One Darren and that is a moniker I proudly accept. Because on day one I am going to roll up my sleeves, get to work and clean up the mess, a mess you created, Mayor, in 2,882 days. It is time for a change. Keller, who is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive four year term: For Day One Darren: The only thing you are going to do on day one is break a promise. You are just saying things that are illegal or ineffective or not doable, especially on day one. You say you are running to 'save the city.' I don't have some kind of savior complex. I'm just doing the tough work of problem solving to help our city for generations. And you're trying to resurrect your career. I know mine is already done. No Mayor has ever gone on to something else besides being Mayor because this is a work that you do because you love your hometown and you know it's the right thing to do. These are tough times. It's easy to just talk about the problem or say things there is no way you can deliver on. What's hard is to actually do the real work, to say how you're going to fix it. That is what I have done today. I see the challenges but I also see the things we are doing right that are making a difference. That's why we have to keep going. SAYING THEIR PIECE
Keller said there could be improvements at the corners of the Fairgrounds such as housing initiatives that could be financed with new funding authority the state is providing for the Fairgrounds area. Varela wants a teen curfew in the city to combat juvenile crime. That was attempted by then Mayor Chavez but ran afoul of the law. Varela, a Republican, also said he is working on a plan to have homeless people go back to their home states if they rejected treatment for fentanyl addiction and found to be breaking laws. He claimed that based on his personal interviews 50 percent of the homeless are from outside ABQ. Former US Attorney Alex Uballez said the city should be banning the wearing of masks by ICE agents and should designate response teams to provide legal defenses "to families torn apart by ICE." Mayling Armijo said if "we don't look at attracting big businesses" and providing them the same incentives (as small business ) "state's like Texas, Colorado and Arizona will continue to take our young." Councilor Louis Sanchez, a former APD officer who was challenged at the KOAT debate over his stance on ABQ being a Sanctuary City said: "I am not for sanctuary cities. I have said that over and over and over. It's important we take the criminals off the streets. I will always cooperate with all law enforcement agencies." DEEP DIVE We take a 45 minute deep dive into the race for ABQ mayor and the state of the city with KIVA-AM 1600 radio host Eddy Aragon. The stream is here. An excerpt: Aragon, who ran for mayor in 2021 and lost to Keller, predicts the following outcome: Keller at 42%, Darren White at 30%, Uballez at 14%, Sanchez at 10%, Armijo at 3%, and Varela at 1%. Monahan finds the 42% figure for Keller plausible, as it aligns with Keller's late September approval rating from an ABQ Journal poll. RACE SHUTDOWN?
That came on the heels of an endorsement of Garcia by the New Mexican and recent insider polling showing him with a healthy lead. The senators said: He represents the next generation of leadership — someone who doesn’t just talk about progress but gets it done. The endorsement of front-runner Garcia in the eight candidate race could be seen as unwanted interference from the DC reps but Santa Fe is a city of national repute and seems at an inflection point in its battle against homelessness and crime. That the two senators wanted to weigh in is understandable in that context. Also, they know Garcia from working with him as a councilor and his day job with AmeriCorp VISTA, a federally-funded agency "implemented within local community nonprofits to address critical community needs in education, public safety, health and the environment." Gov. Lujan Grisham last month endorsed Joanne Vigil Coppler, a longtime friend. On the homelessness front, Santa Fe is taking stronger and prudent measures but that stance has provoked a battle with progressives. But if the city does not lay down a marker now--and waits too long as ABQ did--the very nature of the city could be altered. Santa Fe has ranked choice voting. Garcia is expected to come in first but getting 50 percent in the first round is a challenge with so many candidates. Still, with backing of the business community and the US senators pushing their crews out for him, a victory scenario for the opposition is getting more difficult to envision. (There is no run-off election later. Ranked choice voting produces a winner Election Night.) DEEP DIVE We took a deep dive into the race for ABQ mayor with KIVA radio host Eddy Aragon this week. The stream is here. An excerpt: Aragon, who ran for mayor in 2021 and lost to Keller, predicts the following outcome: Keller at 42%, Darren White at 30%, Uballez at 14%, Sanchez at 10%, Armijo at 3%, and Varela at 1%. Monahan finds the 42% figure for Keller plausible, as it aligns with Keller's late September approval rating from an ABQ Journal poll. CAMPAIGN '26  State Auditor Joseph Maestas has formally announced his campaign for re-election, pledging to continue his fight for accountability, transparency, and innovation in New Mexico’s public entities and officials. “In my time as State Auditor, we’ve uncovered millions in waste, strengthened fiscal oversight, and made government more transparent than ever,” said Maestas. “But the work is far from over. New Mexico needs urgent, impactful action—and I am more committed than ever to delivering results that matter to every taxpayer. Maestas is a Democrat and has no announced opposition in the '26 primary. The annual salary of the Auditor is $144,714. MTO GOES OFFICIAL Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver is officially announcing her candidacy for the Dem nomination for lieutenant governor today with this video on social media. She says New Mexico "needs a fighter who will stand up to" Donald Trump. Sen. Harold Pope of ABQ is the other major candidate in the lt. gov. race. SCHOOL VOUCHER POSITIONS
In our first draft we used erroneous data and said Gonzales, the APS School Board President, had been silent on the vouchers--where parents use taxpayer money to pick a school of their choice. Gonzales is against vouchers. In discussing our error she said such vouchers are currently unconstitutional and a constitutional amendment approved by voters would be required to allow them. Gonzales, Martinez and Ams all answered questionnaires earlier in the campaign in which they stated their opposition to vouchers. Reporter Jesse Jones of NM News, who broke the story of a pair of billionaires contributing money to the School Board races and which we linked to, also issued a mea culpa for errors he said he made in his coverage. As much as news guys hate to let politicians (and their sometimes overbearing consultants) get on their high horses, there are these rare occasions when you have to grin and bear it. Apologizes to the candidates. The wet noodle is activated. Ignore any pleas for mercy you may hear shouted. This is the Home of New Mexico Politics. E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com) Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here. |
  
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