Interim Chief Cecily Barker

Welcome back and Happy New Year. Here are questions that loom over La Politica with the calendar turned to 2026.

--Will the search for a new ABQ police chief truly be "national" as announced by City Hall or will it again be an internal pick? 

The last two national searches gave us chiefs Michael Geier (2017) and Harold Medina (2020), both longtime APD higher ups. This time the usual preference for an insider chief appears to be combining with identity politics. The selection of the first woman chief could be in the cards. Will it be Deputy Chief Cecily Barker who Mayor Keller has already named interim chief and who former Chief Medina is pushing? That's about as far from an outsider as you can get.  If selected, will Barker be a DEI hire who is a clone of the controversial Medina or does she bring something new to the table? 

Will there be major policy changes in Keller's third term? 

Mayor Keller's reelection is an affirmation of his current APD policy as well as his policies dealing with homelessness. His critics continue to guffaw over the election results and blame the electorate for being bozos. But Mr. and Mrs. Albuquerque see a city stabilizing after years of decline. For example, there were 65 homicides in ABQ in 2025, a 34% drop from 99 in 2023 and 2024. That's the lowest since 2016. If the critics want power and not just clicks, they'll have to get a new act. Keller has told us he foresees no major policy changes in the new year.  

Keller was sworn in for his third term at a ceremony Sunday at the downtown Convention Center. He said:

Underneath the surface, our election was about something deeper in this City and our Country. It was about fear: fear of not making ends meet, of losing a family member, of being othered or disconnected.  

Swearing in and speech here. (Starts at 23:50.) The speech transcript is here.  

The Mayor took the official oath of office before Sunday, administered by City Clerk Ethan Watson. Video here. 

New Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia took the oath over the holidays.

DUKE'S DILEMMA 

Duke Rodriguez

--Will a lawsuit abruptly end the GOP gubernatorial candidacy of Duke Rodriguez or energize it? 

A lawsuit surely will be filed over Rodriguez's claim that he has met the state constitutional requirement that a Governor candidate live in the state for five consecutive years--even as records show he has voted in Arizona elections the past two decades. Duke is prepping for the court challenge by arguing: 

I have absolutely, 100% resided for five years preceding the election and, in fact, I've continuously resided for the last 54 years in New Mexico. The state Constitution] doesn't talk about where you vote. It doesn't talk about where you had lunch. . .It talks about two specific words--'resided continuously'--so yes, the answer is correct."

From a Legal Beagle: 

Joe, a person does not lose their residency in New Mexico solely by voting in another state, provided they have not regained residency in that state. Establishing Residency: To establish residency, a candidate must demonstrate a fixed habitation in New Mexico, with the intention to return if temporarily absent.

Thanks, Beagle. Let's see what the folks wearing the black robes say.  

--Will there be a "Stop Duke" movement among Republicans?

Turner

If his residency proves to be no problem and he kicks in $2 million of his own money to fund his campaign, please don't think that he won't be the front-runner. He has two unknown rivals--Gregg Hull and Steve Lanier. There are rumblings of getting a stronger challenger. Over the holidays a candidate who ran for the GOP nomination in 2010--business executive Doug Turner--told us he is taking a close look at running. The deadline to submit the required nominating petition signatures is February 3. We're staying tuned. 

--Will the '26 Governor's race be another layup for the Democrats? 

If the results of the ABQ mayoral election are any guide, yes it will be. Mayor Keller's outsized victory in this city, which is key to statewide political wins, bodes poorly for the Republicans who have been enduring a years-long political winter. Signs of a thaw are nil as Dems continue to thrive here in the Trump era. A marginal increase in GOP voter registration--largely the result of the official voter purge--is not a sign of a turn. Actual elections are the tell and we just had one in the Duke City. 

--Will the state's southern congressional district (the 2nd District) lose its "swing"status this year? 

No need to ask. That question has been answered. Two wins for Rep. Gabe Vasquez--the last in '24 by 10,000 votes--puts the district firmly in the "lean Dem" column. We expect DC pundits to catch up. Should Vasquez be performing better? Yes. Is the early GOP field forming against him a threat? No. 

--Will the state's "vice" industries continue to weaken in the new year? 

Yes. Legal marijuana was one of the more bungled roll outs of a state sanctioned program. The easy money is long gone. Far too many pot shops were allowed and more closures will come. Ditto for the brewery boys. Craft beer joins hard booze as anathema to many in the new generations as they cut  consumption. Health authorities egg them on with findings that even small amounts of alcohol can cause cancer. Think how cigarettes peaked after a similar warning in the 60's. That's where we're headed today. 

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