'It will be a tight race:' Albuquerque mayoral runoff enters final day of voting

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque's mayoral runoff between incumbent Mayor Tim Keller (D) and former Bernalillo County sheriff Darren White (R) is set for Tuesday, Dec. 9. On Monday, Dec. 8, KOAT political expert Brian Sanderoff weighed in on the significant impacts of the upcoming runoff, indicating a "very tight race" compared to Albuquerque's mayoral election in 2021.

"Tim Keller is seeking an unprecedented third term as mayor. Never happened before. The election comes down to whether voters think it's time for a change and if Darren White is the candidate they are looking for," Sanderoff said. "This is a closer race than four years ago. Four years ago, in fact, in a three-way race, Tim Keller got more than 50%. So, he avoided a runoff. Just the fact that we're in a runoff tells you something."

Both campaigns have been marked by political attack ads, controversial accusations, and several debates as both candidates have taken the center stage in the final weeks of the race. As of Monday, 44,030 Democrats have cast their ballots, followed by 26,298 Republicans, totaling 83,008 early voters.

According to Sanderoff, slightly more people have voted early for the Albuquerque mayoral runoff election compared to Election Day on November 4. Early voting ended on Saturday, Dec. 6.


https://www.koat.com/article/new-mexico-mayoral-runoff-albuquerque/69665174