Councilor Paul Wymer

Rio Rancho, the state's third largest city, chose GOP City Councilor Paul Wymer as their favorite mayoral candidate last night, sending him to an April 14 run-off election with Democrat Alex Piland.

Wymer goes into that second election a heavy favorite after claiming 45 percent of the vote in the Republican leaning city to Pilands's 27 percent with four other hopefuls trailing.  

(City election results from around the state here.) 

Wymer, a licensed architect who has lived in the City of Vision since 1984, has been on the Council since 2020 and has been supportive of the policies of current GOP Mayor Gregg Hull who is leaving the post he has held since 2012 to run for Governor. 

Piland, a retired teacher and "proud Latina," is a former chair of the Sandoval county Democratic party.  

Hull leaves city government popular and praised for attracting more business to the city that keeps more tax revenue in local coffers instead of going to ABQ. Affordable housing has continued to expand during his tenure and Rio Rancho has escaped the crime wave that engulfed ABQ.

Alex Piland

Wymer wants to continue to develop the tax base and provide a "balanced' approach to government similar to Hull. Some nicknamed him "the continuity candidate."

Piland, endorsed by the Sierra Club, leans into social issues more than Wymer. 

Rio Rancho's once explosive growth has settled down this past decade but still sports an annual growth rate of about 1.7 percent, much higher than the rest of the state. The current population is about 116,500 only slightly behind Las Cruces with about 119,500 residents. 

TARGETING SAM 

Deb Haaland may be taking a hands-off approach when it comes to directly attacking Sam Bregman before Saturday's important Democratic party preprimary convention but that doesn't mean her supporters and political operatives are sitting on the bench.  Far from it. 

As seen here ProgressNow New Mexico, a longtime progressive group, is out with a blast aimed at the BernCo District Attorney who has made his anti-ICE stance a centerpiece of his campaign:  

For years (as a trial attorney) Sam Bregman' specialty was defending cops accused of crimes against New Mexicans. Now, running for re-election, he suddenly finds his voice against abuse of power? This isn't consistency. It's political convenience. New Mexico deserves better. 

Bregman's long career as a noted trial lawyer before becoming DA is not the only soft spot the Bregman posse is zeroing in on. 

On Saturday state Democrats will hold that preprimary convention at the Inn of the Mountain Gods at Ruidoso. Delegates will vote to place Bregman and Haaland on the June 2 ballot with 20 percent support required, if a candidate is to avoid the embarrassment of being forced to submit extra petition signatures to make the grade. 

Bregman is expected to get to that 20 percent mark but the Haaland camp appears to have its sights set on a "blowout" victory that keeps Bremgan in the 20's and delivers a psychological blow to him. 

While Bregman absorbs the hits before the preprimary, right after he will have to face the dilemma of attacking Haaland directly, if he s to make a race of this. 

That will be tricky because of her popularity in the party and her status as possibly the first Native American to be elected governor. So far Bregman has stepped gingerly, claiming Haaland is scared to debate him but landing few other punches. If he is knocked to the canvas Saturday, his time to come out swinging will grow shorter. 

This the Home of New Mexico Politics.