Mayor Tim Keller, City Councilor Louie Sanchez and Darren White are now up and running television commercials for Mayor.
TIM KELLER TV AD
On October 1, Mayor Tim Keller released his first TV ad in the 2025 Albuquerque Mayor’s race. The ad features a very young Hispanic woman posing as a “bubbly” and smiling news reporter as she announces in a classroom setting a YES or NO “pop quiz”. The ad then moves on to her walking leisurely side by side with Tim Keller down the streets of Albuquerque as she announces his accomplishments as Mayor with “True or False” flashed across the screen. Keller for his part is casually dressed in a shirt with rolled-up sleeves and genes as he grins throughout, waives or nods his head up and down and he says nothing. They appear at various locations to highlight what Keller has accomplished. They are shown walking by a building, walking on a sidewalk in a quiet neighborhood as a police vehicle slowly drives by, standing in the middle of a playground as children run by them in all directions playing, walking in front of apartments that are ostensibly affordable housing, standing in front of the Gateway shelter on Gibson, and ending standing in front of an “ICE” storage vending machine. Keller says nothing until the very end of the ad and then takes a shot at the news media saying the media has not reported all of what he has accomplished.
Following is the transcript of the ad:
YOUNG WOMAN ALONE IN A CLASSROOM SETTING:
“ Pop Quiz. True or False.”
YOUNG WOMAN WALKING WITH KELLER:
“Tim Keller created the nations first community safety department with mental health responders.
So police are freed up to fight crime.
He created before and after-school programs for over ten thousand children.
Twenty-five hundred affordable housing units.
And shelter with addiction treatment for 1,000 homeless.
He’s also blocking ICE if they don’t have a warrant.”
TIM KELLER:
“We’re getting a lot more done than the news media is telling you about!”
The link to review the Keller ad is here:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1486960282587111
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS ON KELLER AD
Mayor Tim Keller’s first TV ad and its narrative and positive tone are a far cry from his campaign pitch he has made including in his “State of the City” event held at the bio park zoo and in public forums before business and civic groups where he has acknowledge the city’s serious problems including high crime rates and the homeless crisis.
Keller publicly proclaims aggressively that his leadership and what he has done over the last 8 years as Mayor is finally “getting traction” and making a difference but he says there is far more that needs to be done. Keller has said he needs four more years to complete his work.
It’s down right laughable that Keller’s ad takes a shot at the media saying the media has not reported on what he has accomplished. Keller on a daily basis does news conferences and he is known for his ongoing self promotion of all things Keller has supposedly accomplished.
Keller’s first TV ad went unanswered by his 6 opponents as they went dark for a full 10 days, until now. Both Louie Sanchez and Darren White are running commercials labeling the Keller record a failure.
LOUIE SANCHEZ TV AD
On October 9, 2025, City Councilor Louie Sanchez announced the release of his new campaign ad entitled “Our Own Eyes”. The advertisement boldly proclaims Mayor Keller is lying and argues that Mayor Tim Keller says things are getting better but makes the point “we can see with our own eyes” what the truth is. The Sanchez ad is in sharp contrast to Keller’s up beat ad. Dispersed throughout the Sanchez ad are dramatic and disturbing images of the streets of Albuquerque inhabited by the unhoused with their belongings and congregating or sleeping on the streets of the city.
The narrative of the ad is as follows:
“Do you believe a failed politician [when Keller says] we have made real progress or your own eyes?”
Tim Keller is lying, we can see it with our own eyes!
And now he says “That’s why we need a little more time.”
Eight years has been enough!
We Deserve better.
Louie Sanchez has a plan to clean up our city.
Safe streets, more jobs, and a government that works.
Vote for change.
Vote Louis Sanchez for Mayor.
The link to review the entire Sanchez ad is here by clicking on the ad when Keller’s image pops up:
In a press release releasing the TV ad, City Councilor Louie Sanchez said this:
“Too many Albuquerque families already know firsthand that we’re experiencing skyrocketing violent crime, open-air drug use, homelessness spiraling out of control, and a city government that has lost the trust of its people. … Tim Keller has spent eight years telling us everything is improving. … But by every objective measure, things have gotten worse. Families don’t feel safe. Businesses are closing. Homelessness is worse than ever. The only thing that’s grown under Keller is the gap between his political spin and the reality on the ground. … This election isn’t about fancy speeches or campaign slogans. It’s about telling the truth and fixing what’s broken. Albuquerque deserves a leader who will stop sugarcoating failure and start delivering results.”
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS ON SANCHEZ AD
The Sanchez ad is a blunt, no-nonsense message accusing Mayor Tim Keller of lying and of pretending that his 8 years have somehow made the city better. The ad proclaims Keller has been a failure.
The Sanchez ad is a very effective illustration of Keller’s failed record on public safety, homelessness, and accountability. It effectively challenges voters not to trust a politician’s campaign speeches, but to trust what they are seeing and experiencing in the city they live in every day.
The Sanchez ad is now live across digital platforms, broadcast television, and cable. Sources have confirmed the 30 second commercial is airing on broadcast and cable channels with $30,000 being spent initially for its airing.
DARREN WHITE TV AD
Darren White has also produced a hard-hitting TV ad. The White commercial attacks Keller for the 750 homicides that have taken place during his eight years as well as the homeless. White singles out the homeless encampments calling them “tent cities” and says he will take them down on “day one” reminiscent of Donald Trump. The ad ends with declaring White to be a Republican when the race for Mayor is non partisan.
White says this in his TV commercial ad:
“Eight years of failure is enough.
No more sanctuary for criminals and the tent encampments come down on day one.
Over 750 homicides, homeless tent cities everywhere. We need change now.”
Ending comment: “Republican Darren White for Mayor.”
The Darren White ad can be viewed here:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/665888349913519
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS ON WHITE AD
The White ad is not as effective nor as well produced as the Sanchez commercial. It is an obvious attempt by White to consolidate the Republican vote because he ends by being identified as a Republican.
This is not the first time Darren White has taken issue with the homeless. When White was the city’s Chief Public Safety Officer under Republican Mayor Richard Berry, he was reckless when he declared it was time for the city to “take the gloves off ” when dealing with the homeless. Two homeless sued the city for actions it had taken and White’s words and actions resulted in payment of a $100,000 settlement by the city.
JOURNAL POLL RESULTS RECALLED
On Sunday, September 28, the Albuquerque Journal published the results of its expected opinion poll on the Albuquerque’s Mayor race.
Following are the poll results:
- Tim Keller: 29%
- Darren White: 16%
- Alex Uballez: 6%
- Louie Sanchez: 6%
- Mayling Armijo: 1%
- Eddie Varela: 2%
- Daniel Chavez: 1%
- Undecided 37%
- Decline To Say 2%
TOTAL: 100%
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/article_bf155bf7-2226-486b-ac34-07ca23e0173b.html
On September 29, candidate for Mayor Daniel Chavez dropped out of the race saying he did not see a viable path forward. While Chavez is dropping out, he will still appear on the ballot. Six candidates remain in the running.
Although the Albuquerque Journal Poll found that Mayor Tim Keller has the lead in his bid to win reelection to a third term as Albuquerque’s mayor, the poll also found that less than half of city voters approve of the job he’s done over the last seven-plus years. A total of 47% of voters surveyed expressed disapproval of Keller’s job performance, while 42% approved of the way he has handled being mayor. The remaining voters were unsure or declined to say.
KELLER’S OVERWHELMING FINANACIAL ADVANTAGE
What overshadows all the poll numbers is Mayor Tim Keller’s overwhelming financial advantage in the mayor’s race. Mayor Keller was the only candidate to qualify for $733,968.00 in public financing while the others failed to secure public finance and have failed with their efforts to raise sufficient private financing to compete.
As of September 8, Mayor Keller reported he had $654,046.56 in public financing still left to spend and a measured finance committee formed to promote his candidacy reported having another $120,000 in cash.
On September 8, Darren White reported having $130,373.73 in cash on hand, Louie Sanchez reported $163,969.14 cash on hand and Alex Uballez reported $121,801.56 cash on hand with all three having made significant contributions of their own money of $50,000 or more.
FINAL COMMENTARY
Keller’s opponents have been relegated to carry on a “social media” campaign because of lack of funds to telecast TV Commercials. Alex Uballez and Louis Sanchez in particular have been using FACEBOOK to post repeatedly their stands on issues or to level criticism against Keller. Its very uncertain if a social media campaign is at all effective.
The Sanchez and White ads represent the very first negative campaign commercials against Mayor Tim Keller on TV as Keller’s campaign spends the considerable amount of cash on hand it has left. The biggest questions are does Sanchez and White have enough money to make a media buy to have any real impact and change the dynamics of the race given the recent Albuquerque Journal poll and will more negative ads be released by the other candidates?
The first phase of early voting started on October 7 with absentee ballots being sent out to voters and in-person voting opening at the Downtown Clerk’s Annex, 1500 Lomas NW. Expanded early voting will then begin on Oct. 18, and will end three days before Election Day on November 4.
Please vote!