On Sunday, June 29, 2025, the Albuquerque Journal ran a front-page banner headline story complete with a flattering color photo of Darren White. The article was entitled “Mayoral Hopeful Claimed Florida Tax Break Meant For Full Residents.” The link to read the unedited full Albuquerque Journal article is here:
https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_e21410a0-00dc-4b77-99a2-5c721ff19922.html
Darren White is the controversial former Bernalillo County Sherriff who is one of seven candidates who have qualified for the November 4 ballot, including Mayor Tim Keller, who is seeking a third four-year term. White secured the 3,000 required signatures to secure a ballot position to appear on the November 4 ballot. Initially, White was also seeking public financing but failed to secure the required 3,780 donations of $5.00 to the city from registered voters and he is now a privately finance candidate. Mayor Tim Keller is the only candidate out of 7 candidates to qualify for the $755,946 in public finance by collecting the required qualifying donations.
FLORIDA PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION
Following is an edited and quoted version of the Journal article written by Journal Staff writer Justin Garcia:
“Darren White took a $50,000 Florida property tax exemption on a beachside home he owns in a small Florida town that resulted in him saving a few thousand dollars in property taxes. Government documents show White purchased the property in 2019. The house is a single-family home located in Port St. Joe, a town in the Florida panhandle with a population of approximately 3,775 residents.”
According to a Zillow search, homes in St. Joe sell for upwards of $500,000.
https://www.zillow.com/home-values/20024/port-saint-joe-fl/
“[The controversy for White is that] the property tax break requires the property owner to be a Florida resident. [According to the Journal story] emails available to the public, voting records and property records shared with the paper by an out of state Republican political consulting firm, and independently verified by the Albuquerque Journal, show that White has claimed a house in Port St. Joe, Florida, as his primary residence since 2022.”
“The Florida Gulf County Appraiser’s Office, which oversees property assessment duties for Port St. Joe, confirmed that White has received the homestead exemption since 2022. White has also paid taxes on the house since buying it in 2019. An email from 2022 between White and the Appraiser’s Office shows that White confirmed he wanted the property tax exemption.”
“To be given the Homeowners tax exemption, the Appraiser’s Office had to receive copies of utilities bills, bank information and a Florida driver’s license to establish Florida residency. The Florida county’s Appraiser’s Office confirmed they had received all three of the required documents from White and White confirmed in an email that he had a Florida driver license at one point.”
“Gulf County Appraiser’s Office website listed White’s Florida residence as receiving a homestead exemption. On June 18, White told the Journal he planned to withdraw the property tax and as of June 25, the Florida County Appraiser’s Office listed the property as no longer receiving it.”
“When contacted by phone by the Journal, White confirmed that he owns the house in Florida but stated it is not his permanent residence and that he would contact the appropriate appraiser to have the $50,000 exemption removed. White further argued that the situation amounted to nothing more than a “simple oversight” when asked if he felt like he should reimburse Florida State Gulf County.”
White offered the following explanation:
“I briefly lived in Florida but moved back in 2022 and changed my voter registration accordingly. I still have a home in Florida that is now a rental property. The property tax designation was inadvertent. It has been corrected, and all my taxes are up to date and paid in full. … We are confident voters care more about crime in Albuquerque than property tax technicalities in Florida.”
ALBUQUERQUE RESIDENCY REQUIRED TO RUN FOR MAYOR
New Mexico Statute 1-1-7 (2024) states that for a candidate to qualify for an office they are running for, the candidate must file in the district where they reside. Residency for candidates is determined by the rules outlined in Section 1-1-7 NMSA 1978. For City Councilor candidates, this means they must reside in the specific city council district they are seeking to represent. For Mayor, they must reside within the city limits itself. This statute also allows candidates to change their residency up to the filing date, as long as the district remains within the same boundaries.
The link to the New Mexico statute regarding residency is here:
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-1/article-1/section-1-1-7/
New Mexico Statutes Section 1-22-3 (2024) outlines the requirements for candidates in regular local elections. Specifically, it states that a person must physically reside within the district they wish to represent and be a registered voter in that area on the date the election is called.
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/chapter-1/article-22/section-1-22-3/
Article II of the City of Albuquerque Charter governing municipal elections can be found here:
https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/albuquerque/latest/albuqcharter/0-0-0-144
There is no minimum amount of time that a person must be a resident in the city for a person to run for Mayor of Albuquerque. All that is required for a person to run for Mayor of Albuquerque is:
- A person must be a registered qualified elector on the date they file their declaration of candidacy with the city clerk. (A person must be 18 years or older to register to vote.)
- Be a resident of the city of Albuquerque.
- File with the City Clerk a petition containing signatures of three thousand registered city voters to be placed on the ballot.
Darren White meets all three requirements to run for Mayor.
CITY CLERKS ASSERTS RESIDENCY CONTRADICTION
“White claiming a Florida residency for a tax exemption creates a contradiction as to his residency status. Albuquerque City Clerk Ethan Watson, [who is also a licensed attorney], declined to specify whether it might apply to White’s case. Eligibility questions are district court matters to decide. A city clerk spokesperson said this:
“The City cannot comment on issues that could come before the Board of Ethics or other adjudicatory bodies.”
The Albuquerque Journal found that White currently does indeed have an address in Albuquerque as well as a long voting record in local elections and he has no history of voting in Florida. Voting records show that White has a history of being a New Mexico voter. Bernalillo County Clerk records reveal that White voted in the 2022 general election, the 2024 primary election, and the 2024 general election. There are no Florida records that show White voted in Florida elections.
White said this about his residency:
“I am very clearly a resident of Albuquerque — and live and pay taxes here.”
CANIDATES DENOUNCE WHITE’S CONDUCT
Democrat Alexander Uballez, III is the former United States Attorney for New Mexico. He is one of the six candidates running for Mayor against Tim Keller. Uballez was quick to question White’s conduct of claiming a Florida property tax exception and said this:
“While our neighbors are struggling to afford rent or keep up with property tax, Darren White was avoiding paying his fair share on his beachfront home in Florida. Especially right now, we need a mayor with a track record of serving the public good, not dodging their responsibility to contribute to it. Among a long list of disqualifications, this raises the question of whether this is the quality of leadership we deserve.”
On social media, Mayor Tim Keller’s campaign posted the following:
“Dear ABQ Neighbor, Did you catch the story. . .about Republican Darren White claiming a $50,000 tax break meant only for full-time Florida residents?. . . White declared his beachside house as his primary residence–even while voting in New Mexico and now running for Mayor. He submitted a Florida driver’s license, utility bills, and bank records to make it official. That’s not just a “simple oversight.” It’s classic tax-dodging–and it raises real questions about Darren White’s honesty, integrity, and legal compliance. And let’s be honest: it’s straight out of the Trump playbook. Dodging taxes, playing both sides, and expecting no consequences.”
ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY
WHITE BECOMES ALBUQUERQUE RESDENT IN LATE 2024
Darren White’s candidate address listed in his campaign disclosure statement filed with the City Clerk and which is public record lists 6701 Tennyson ST NE, #7004, Albuquerque, NM 87122 as his home address. The apartment is within the City limits.
https://www.cabq.gov/vote/candidate-information/2025-candidates-and-committees-1
Voter registration rolls as of March 10, 2025, which are public record, reflect Darren White’s last known primary residence as of December 16, 2024 is also the apartment located at 6701 Tennyson ST NE.
It is true when White says he is “clearly a resident of Albuquerque — and live[s] and pay taxes here”. He is a Bernalillo County registered voter as he voted in the 2022 and 2024 election cycles. What Darren White has not disclose is that he has only resided within the city limits ostensibly since November 14, 2023.
According to Bernalillo County property records, Darren White’s primary residence until November 14, 2023 was a custom made, 3,727 square foot, single story home located in North Albuquerque Acres at 11620 Signal Ave, NE which is located in unincorporated area of Bernalillo County and not within the City limits. The home has 4 bedrooms, 4 baths with a living room and dining room, an office with a wet bar, and gourmet kitchen with duel built-in refrigerators.
The home in North Albuquerque Acres was listed for sale 2 times, once on September 21, 2023 and re-listed on September 24, 2023. White’s county home sold on November 14, 2023 for $1,000,000 (MLS # 1041884) to a Mark S. Sanchez. Upon information and belief, Mark Sanchez is the Executive Director of the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA).
White admitted he briefly lived in Florida in 2022. He was a Florida resident at the time when he secured the Florida tax exemption, but he said he moved back in 2022. White ostensibly bought the North Albuquerque Acres home and changed his primary residence and voter registration back to New Mexico. He purchased the home in North Albuquerque Acres, which is in Bernalillo County, later sold it on November 14, 2023 and then moved into an apartment located within the city limits. It appears that Darren White sold a $1 million dollar, 3,727 square foot luxury home in the county and then moved into an apartment located within city limits enabling him to run for Mayor of Albuquerque.
The law mandates that White live within the City limits to run for Mayor and he could not run for Mayor if he lived in unincorporated Bernalillo County. Upon his return to New Mexico and changing his residency, White had the obligation to notify Florida tax authorities that he was no longer a Florida resident, no longer qualified for the tax exemption and that his primary residence was in New Mexico. White did so, but only after it was reported by the Albuquerque Journal.
Simply put, what happened in Florida remains in Florida. The tax exemption and his cessation of primary residency in Florida is between Florida authorities and Darren White and not New Mexico nor the City of Albuquerque. It will be very difficult to prove in a court of law that White’s primary residence is a Florida residency to disqualify him from running for Mayor and being removed from the ballot. White’s Albuquerque primary residence centers on his personal intent and he will likely be found by any New Mexico State District court that his primary residence is within the Albuquerque city limits, he is a registered New Mexico voter with a voting record, he pays bills and taxes here and he has legitimately qualified for the ballot as an Albuquerque resident.
DARREN WHITE RUNS FOR MAYOR
It was on March 6, former Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Public Safety, Former Bernalillo County Sheriff and former Albuquerque Chief Public Safety Officer Darren White announced that he is running for Mayor of Albuquerque. White made the announcement by uploading a slick campaign video to the social media website X. White called himself a fiscal conservative and vowed to crack down on crime and the homeless in Albuquerque
White joined the race with a vow to be a “proven leader,” “tough on crime” and a “champion for change.” In his announcement, White asserts that there have been 660 murders during Keller’s years in office, that an alarming number of businesses have had to close because of crime and that Keller has made Albuquerque a “sanctuary city.” White proclaimed in his announcement:
“Mayor Keller has presided over the most murders in Albuquerque’s history. His weak approach to crime and homelessness has failed and it’s time for change.”
In a fund raising letter, White vilifies “illegal immigrants” and falsely proclaimed this:
“One of Keller’s first acts as Mayor was too make Albuquerque a Sanctuary City for illegal immigrants who commit crimes. Now we have case after case of violent crimes being committed by illegal immigrants, many of who have been arrested multiple times but turned back onto the streets by this Mayor’s backward policies. As Mayor, I will end the Sanctuary City law immediately.”
Albuquerque is not a “Sanctuary City” as White mouthed off. A “Sanctuary City” is a jurisdiction that prohibits local law enforcement from enforcing and arresting for violations of immigration laws leaving that work exclusively to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A “Sanctuary City” requires the local government to protect the undocumented from federal authorities.
“Immigrant Friendly” cities on the other hand enact policies that are favorable to undocumented people to allow services and its local law enforcement personnel do not make arrests for violations of federal immigration laws and only make arrests of undocumented people for violations of local ordinances and state laws. Albuquerque’s Immigrant Friendly ordinance prevents city resources from being used for immigration enforcement or for sharing information about an individual’s immigration status, unless legally required. City employees, including law enforcement, and all city departments are not allowed to ask for a person’s immigrant status, and no department is allowed to maintain statistics on immigrants.
It was in 2001, long before Keller became Mayor, that the city council declared the city to be an “Immigrant-Friendly City” by City Council ordinance originally sponsored by former Republican City Councilor Hess Yntema who represented the South East Heights area, including the International District. The ordinance declares the City Of Albuquerque to be an Immigrant-Friendly City. It establishes City Of Albuquerque policies regarding immigrants and their families, regardless of immigration status and establishes a city immigrant resource program.
https://cabq.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=1256769&GUID=C68CF8DC-7161-498C-A997-FF2D664B7E0E&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=R-2001-009&FullText=1
White said he will provide officers with resources and support they need to take action against homeless encampments after a Supreme Court decision in 2024. White said this:
“The Supreme Court has given cities the authority to clean up these tent cities, but Mayor Keller has refused to do so. That will change when I am elected mayor.”
When White was Chief Public Safety Officer under Mayor Richard Berry, White said it was time to “take the gloves off when dealing with the homeless” in order to remove the homeless from downtown Albuquerque. Three of those arrested later sued the city and the city settled the cases for $98,000
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/12/what-works-albuquerque-homeless-solution-housing-policy-214527
Mayor Tim Keller has established the Albuquerque Community Safety Division Department which employs teams of two trained professionals with experience in behavioral health and crisis intervention. They are dispatched to deal with the unhoused and to get them off the streets and reduce APD police calls for service. According to Keller, the city does hundreds of sweeps a month to remove homeless encampments.
https://www.cabq.gov/acs/services
DARREN WHITE’S HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY
In 1987, White moved to New Mexico and joined the Albuquerque Police Department Academy. White holds a B.A. in Management from the University of Phoenix and has one son, Darren II. After his graduation from the APD Academy, White was assigned and served in the department’s Field Services Bureau, Motorcycle Patrol Unit and Crimes Against Children Unit. He reached the rank of Sergeant. While with APD, White joined the department band “The Force” as the lead singer with the band performing in their APD uniforms to school children warning them about the dangers of abusing drugs and bellowing out in rock style lyrics “Just Say No!”
In 1995, Republican Governor Gary Johnson appointed White to head the New Mexico Department of Public Safety. At 31, White was the youngest state public safety director in the country. White also chaired Johnson’s cabinet council on crime and corrections.
While serving as secretary of the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, members of the New Mexico State Police Officers Association voted 243 – 31 “No Confidence” against White. The state police officers accused White of improperly supplying equipment and cars to its officers, which they felt was an officer safety issue.
https://www.police1.com/police-administration/articles/nm-police-have-no-confidence-in-safety-director-nQZQa5iQFpN4EEU3/
White had a very sudden and dramatic parting of the ways with Governor Gary Johnson over Johnson announcing his support for the legalization of all drugs. White resigned in a “puff” as cabinet secretary saying he could never support the legalization of drugs.
WHITE WAS AGAINST POT BEFORE HE MADE MONEY OFF POT
White’s previous public statements and actions against marijuana reform have been extensive. In 2007, when medical marijuana became legal in New Mexico, White was vehemently opposed to it. White said this:
“I’ve never supported medical marijuana. … I’m very sympathetic to the patients – I watched my father die of cancer, and it’s the most difficult thing in the world – but I don’t think you have to smoke marijuana to gain the comfort and relief that’s provided by the THC.”
In 2002, as executive director of Protect New Mexico, White lobbied against both a medical marijuana bill and Johnson’s effort to decriminalize marijuana. When the state Legislature rejected Johnson’s decriminalization bill, White said it was “a victory to our children and our neighborhoods.”
On a 2002 medical marijuana bill, White told the Albuquerque Journal at the time that the issue needed more research.
https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2015/09/02/green-and-white-former-sheriff-wants-in-on-medical-marijuana/
When Republican Governor Susana Martinez became governor, Darren White changed his tune on the legalization of marijuana and benefited from a state license he was awarded by the Martinez Administration to sell medical marijuana. White showed what a hypocrite he is when following his career in law enforcement he started his own cannabis dispensary company call PurLife. He served on the Board of Directors and CEO of Purlife, a medical marijuana distribution company. Despite lobbying against state medical cannabis legalization efforts, White changed his stance on the substance and ran his medical cannabis company, which sold just before New Mexico legalized recreational use.
SEE Pure Life Management Group., LLC, Business ID number 5545730 at
https://enterprise.sos.nm.gov/search/business
WHITE THE “NEWSHOUND”
After resigning his cabinet position with Johnson, White joined the news staff at KRQE-TV, Albuquerque’s CBS affiliate. White was a crime reporter at the station for two years. He left the station in 2002 to run for Bernalillo County Sherriff.
https://www.gaar.com/images/uploads/ld-darren_white_bio.pdf
WHITE THE BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF
White was elected Bernalillo County Sheriff in 2002 and reelected in 2006. As Bernalillo County Sheriff, Darren White helped TruTouch Technologies secure a sole-source contract in the amount of $379,995 to “supply alcohol screening and testing prototype equipment.”
White notified the County Commission that “the Sheriff’s Department fully supports the Sole Source contract award to TruTouch Technologies of Albuquerque.”
White was also running for US Congress at the time and received campaign contributions from TruTouch officers during a prohibited time.
https://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/darren-white/
WHITE THE CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE
In 2008, White was the Republican nominee for US Congress in New Mexico’s 1st congressional district facing then Albuquerque City Councilman Martin Heinrich. Heinrich defeated White in a landslide with Heinrich elected with 55.5% to Whites 44.5%. White has said in the past that he was a Republican Conservative long before Donald Trump ever was. White has the signature of Ronald Reagan tattoo on his ankle that he is very proud of and is known to show off to others.
WHITE THE ABQ CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF SAFE CITY STRIKE FORCE
In December 2009, White was appointed Albuquerque’s Chief Public Safety Director by Republican Mayor Richard J. Berry who had just been elected for his first term. White replaced former Albuquerque City Councilor and Former Chief Deputy District Attorney Pete Dinelli as the City’s Chief Public Safety Officer and Director of the Safe City Strike Force.
Simply put, Republican Darren White blew it when he was Chief Public Safety Officer and Director of the Safe City Strike Force under Republican Mayor Richard Berry and together they did irreparable damage to the city’s safety and the Albuquerque Police Department.
SAFE CITY STRIKE FORCE
The Safe City Strike Force was responsible for taking aggressive action against nuisance property’s and took code enforcement action against both commercial and residential properties that were determined to be magnets for crime. For a period of seven years during which time Marty Chavez was Mayor, the Safe City Strike Force, took enforcement actions against 6,500 + properties throughout the city. The Strike Force cleaned up Central taking enforcement actions against dozens of run-down motels along Central and tearing down 8 motels and closing violent bars deemed a nuisance. The Strike Force was recognized nationally as a best practice program.
City hall confidential sources confirmed Mayor Richard Berry ordered the dismantling of the Safe City Strike Force because of demands by the business community sector and slum lords who were opposed to aggressive city code enforcement that held them accountable for code violations. Darren White carried out Berry’s orders and code enforcement actions ceased because Darren White was not a licensed attorney and he did nothing when it came to code enforcement against nuisance properties.
WHITE’S “NO CONFIDENCE VOTE” BY APD
Darren White, as a former Bernalillo County Sherriff, had no problem with the political appointment by Mayor Richard Berry of Republican Gordon Eden as APD Chief. Eden had no experience working within APD an no experience managing a large law enforcement department. When Berry and White first took over APD, it was the best trained, best paid and best equipped in department in its history. APD had in December 2009 a total of 1,100 full time sworn police officers, the largest number in its history.
Eden was a poor choice for APD Chief and the Department went into a complete meltdown. Under Berry, Edens and White’s leadership, APD sworn personnel plummeted, and it hit low of 850 because they could not keep up with retirements.
APD moral plummeted under White’s leadership. Darren White was given a vote of “no confidence” from the APD union because he took away the take home vehicle policy for cops and he stopped the pay increases negotiated with the union contract. White also imposed severe pay cuts he implemented in violation of the police union contract negotiated in good faith by the police union.
https://www.koat.com/article/police-union-to-vote-no-confidence-in-darren-white/5035368
WHITE INSERTS SELF INTO MARY HAN DEATH CASE
One of the most disgraceful things Darren White did when he was Chief Public Safety Officer involved APD’s investigation into the 2010 death of prominent Civil Rights and Defense attorney Mary Han who was often at odds with both the Albuquerque Police Department and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, including when Darren White was Bernalillo County Sherriff. Initially, the Office of the Medical Investigator ruled her death a suicide, but her family never bought it. A few years back, then District Court Judge David Thomson ordered OMI to change the manner of death from “suicide” to “undetermined.”
When the call was made to APD reporting that Mary Han was found dead in the seat of her car in her garage, then Chief Public Safety Director Darren White and city spokesman T.J. Wilham dispatched themselves to the scene along with then APD Deputy Chiefs Beth Paiz, Paul Feist, Allen Banks, then Valley Area Commander Rae Mason, then-City Attorney Rob Perry, and then police crime lab director Marc Adams and four sergeants, including a designated APD spokeswoman.
White and his APD subordinates dispatched themselves to the scene ostensibly to “investigate” and to view Han’s body. They were all given free access to the scene thereby interfering with the investigation. An Attorney General investigation found that APD mishandled the investigation and reached several “principal findings”. Those findings include:
- The large number of APD personnel given access to Han’s home “materially interfered with the investigation process”.
- “Significant”items were either removed from Han’s death scene or were “otherwise missing,” further complicating the case by thwarting scientific analysis and evidence collection.
- A high-ranking APD official made a “precipitous decision” to label Han’s death a suicide before any investigation had been conducted.
The Han family sued the office of medical investigator and succeeded in having Mary Han’s death certificate cause of death change from suicide to undetermined.
WHITE’S “RETIREMENT” FROM CITY
On July 15, 2011, Darren White announced what he called his “retirement” from the city a little more than a week after he showed up to the scene of a car crash involving his wife where he took her from the scene and then drove her to the hospital. First responders never gave Kathy White a blood test even though a police report indicates she showed signs of impairment. Darren White released his wife’s urinalysis results that showed a drug screen came back negative. Documents show the test was roughly five hours after the accident which called into question the accuracy of the test White released. A blood draw test is much more comprehensive than a urine test, but a blood test was never performed.
White’s retirement came shortly after a City Council meeting in which a five-person committee voted to start compiling a list of outside investigators who could be called on to review White’s actions during his wife’s car accident. White maintained that he did nothing wrong and violated no policies but none the less he retired. The Police Oversight Commission exonerated White of any wrongdoing in the incident later that year.
https://www.koat.com/article/darren-white-retires-from-city-post/5036906
WHITE THE “RACINO MANAGER”
In July 2012, Darren White was appointed as the New Downs General Manager. According to the Response to RFP submitted by the Downs on August 25, 2011, the General Manager position “has been created in anticipation of the new facility”. In other words, White was given a job that did not previously exist. The Downs General Manager is “responsible for the day-to-day operations of The Downs, including implementing and monitoring policies, establishing and managing the budget, hiring and training the management team, ensuring managers are actively monitoring compliance with all regulatory requirements and providing overall operational support.”
The problem was Darren White had no gaming management experience when he was named the New Downs General Manager. The new Casino had not yet been built so there was nothing to manage. White’s only involvement with the racino before was as a “security consultant” helping the Downs at Albuquerque prepare its response to the RFP. White then briefly worked as the Project Manager at the Downs for the construction of the updated racino.
Confidential sources report that Darren White was given the job because of his close personal friendship and association to Jay McCleskey, then Governor Martinez’s political consultant who involved himself in the award of the racinos lease by the state, and his very close ties to Downs lobbyists/lawyers Pat Rogers and Mickey Barnett. During her first year in office, Republican Governor Susana Martinez was alleged to have been involved with a “play to play” controversy involving the award of a $1 Billion-dollar, 25-year, Albuquerque Downs Racetrack contract, dubbed by politicos as “the Dirty Downs deal”.
https://www.abqjournal.com/335335/buster-screwed-us.html
https://www.democracyfornewmexico.com/democracy_for_new_mexico/darren-white/
WHITE THE RADIO TAKE SHOW HOST
For several years Darren White has hosted a radio talk show on KKOB and has become an outspoken critic of Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque Police Department. White caters to a decidedly right wing, MAGA Republican audience. As a result White has been able to nourish a strong base of support increasing his name identification as he takes on divisive issues such as the unhoused and undocumented immigrants.
FINAL COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
Immediately after the Albuquerque Journal story broke about Darren White’s claim for a Florida property tax exemption, well known political pundits, gossip columnists and city hall observers were quick to proclaim that the news story seriously “wounded” White’s candidacy and that it could slow his fundraising as potential donors hesitate over his candidacy. That would be very wishful and foolish thinking on their part. According to the June 9 finance report White had raised $40,867 and new finance reports will be filed on July 14. It is possible Darren White could self finance given his past ownership of the cannabis dispensary company PurLife.
The link to Darren White’s financial disclosure is here:
https://campaignfinance.cabq.gov/#/exploreDetails/L7j64Ew1a0rWwbrOJFbL4JP4048PFnxLXRUfdOLcQk01/2/null/2/2025
Before the Journal report, conventional wisdom was that White was the odds on favorite to get into run off with Tim Keller. He still is. If no candidate wins 50% of the vote at the November 4 election a month later a run-off election would be held between the top two vote-getters. White and Keller remain the odds on favorites to make it into a runoff.
Simply put, White’s reputation has been solidified for a number of years. Voters already know who he is and what he represents. White is appealing to the MAGA voting block as he runs for Mayor and as he assails Keller’s weaknesses on crime reduction, vilifies the homeless and vilifies undocumented people declaring Albuquerque “sanctuary city”.
In a real sense, White is following Donald Trump’s game plan of sowing hostility and mistrust to win an election. It just might work against a Mayor who has extremely low approval ratings of between 30% and 33% but still has a solid base of Democrat Progressives that will likely get him into a run off. White’s past controversial conduct is likely to be totally ignored as irrelevant by his base of radio talk show listeners and Republican MAGA supporters who after all ignored Trump’s character flaws and voted for the first convicted felon for President of the United States.
