The Albuquerque City Clerk has qualified the following 7 candidates to run for Mayor who will appear on the November 4 ballot with one dropping out of the race:
- Tim Keller, incumbent two term Mayor seeking third term.
- Darren White, the former sheriff of Bernalillo County and former CEO of medical cannabis company PurLife.
- Louie Sanchez, a retired APD police officer and current city councilor.
- Alex Uballez, the former U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico.
- Mayling Armijo, the former director of Economic Development for Bernalillo County and deputy county manager for Sandoval County.
- Eddie Varela, a retired Albuquerque firefighter and former California fire chief.
- Daniel Chavez, president of Parking Company of America was the very first to qualify for the ballot, but on September 29 he dropped out the race.
On June 20, the City Clerk determined that Mayor Tim Keller was the only candidate to qualify for public finance, and he was given $755,946 in public finance. The remaining five candidates are privately financed.
ALEX UBALLEZ GUEST OPINION COLUMN
Candidate Alex Uballez submitted the below guest column to be published on www.PeteDinelli.com. He was not compensated for it and his column is being published “free of charge” as a public service. The postscript provides a detailed biography of the candidate as well as links to two related blog articles on debates for the race for Mayor.
EDITOR’S DISCLAIMER The Uballez guest column is being published as part of the ongoing “news and commentary” coverage of the 2025 Mayor’s race. The opinions expressed in the opinion column are not necessarily those of www.PeteDinelli.com. No endorsement will be made of any candidate in the Mayor’s race by the blogger.
Uballez Opinion Column: “The People Of Albuquerque Deserve A Mayor Who Works As Hard As They Do!”
By Alex Uballez, candidate for Mayor of Albuquerque
“I grew up a working-class kid. My mother was born in China and migrated here as a young girl; my dad was born in the projects of downtown L.A. and has a high school education. I am the first and only attorney in my family, and I rose to be the youngest United States Attorney in the nation at the age of 36.
After years of taking on crimes against children, drug traffickers, and public corruption, nothing frustrates me more than people with the power to make a difference not delivering for the people.
When I took over the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I sent a memo to the 200 staff entitled “32 Months,” where I laid out the plan, and the urgency, for the coming years. In that time, I led the office through the single largest budgetary shortfall in its history, cutting the operating budget in half, but did not fire a single federal employee. I transitioned the office from paper files to digital, led the largest fentanyl seizure in FBI’s history, took down 30 years of corruption in APD’s DWI unit, built the first federal reentry court, and launched a nation-wide Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons program.”
NO NEED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN INEFFECTIVE AND CRUEL
“The test of a leader is how they lead through crises and still deliver results.
I’m not new to leadership. But I am new to politics. I stepped out of my career and into this race because I saw that when you make good ideas look bad, people start to see bad ideas as necessary and I wanted us to have a better option.
I have about ten years before my eldest daughter is of the age to decide if Albuquerque is a place she sees a future for herself or has to leave to find it. I want to do everything in my power to see that my children grow up safe and that this generation of people from Albuquerque aren’t the last who can afford to call it home.
In an exchange at this week’s debate, I asked the incumbent how to restore trust after the dozen retaliation lawsuits, the workers and their families suing for his willfully exposing them to cancer-causing asbestos, and after he’s been sued by ACS workers for failing to pay overtime for the program he regularly flaunts as a feather in his cap.
He said, “it happens.” Literally, “there’s always HR issues… asbestos happens.”
But worse, I’m running against challengers who offer complaints but no solutions for how to do better.
Being tired of things not working is not a sufficient campaign platform. We have to have clear ways to actually make things better.
We know that arresting people for mental illness and drug addiction is not only ineffective. It’s both illegal and immoral.
We know that collaborating with federal immigration enforcement when 70% of their activity targets people with no criminal history makes us all less safe.
And we know anything short of actually managing the crises of poverty, addiction, and mental health will simply spiral us downward.
Albuquerque, we don’t have to choose between ineffective and cruel.”
A PLATEFORM FOR CHANGE
Whether readers have already made up their mind that eight years are enough or are among those still on the fence, the truth is that the pundits are saying that when an incumbent has 100% name recognition, $1M to spend, and only a 29% approval rating, it is potentially disastrous.
And when the alternatives are Darren White or Louie Sanchez, whose main campaign promise is to arrest half the city on day one, we go from disaster to destruction.
I’m here so that we have a better choice.
First, we need to make key corrections in how public safety is being handled. We need a police chief that has the public’s confidence. We need a centralized 911 system staffed by first responders to get the right response to callers fast. And we need a robust combination of violence prevention, social work response, and police focused on serious crimes instead of throwing away the few belongings of unhoused people.
Then, we aggressively address the issues of poverty, addiction, and mental health head-on. That means prevention in the form of rental assistance, homeownership support, and maintenance for existing structures.
For those on the streets already, we will resource existing programs so that 700 people in the westside shelter are served by more than just three social workers. We will expand outreach in the street-medic model, meeting people where they are, rebuilding trust, and delivering vital services.
Then, we will build transitional housing that provides long-term medical support and wrap-around services for those coming off of the streets.
Finally, we should implement the sequential intercept model in partnership with our Court system to identify those suffering from serious mental illnesses and addiction in the criminal justice system, and connect them with services.
I’d create specialized emergency response teams with co-responding civilian victim advocates, peer support, and social workers, so we don’t just respond to crimes, but put in work to prevent them in the future. And I’d focus law enforcement efforts on building cases for detention and sentencing against those truly driving misery in our community, in order to get better results in court.
Public safety today only works with a true investment in our future.
This means opportunity for our young people by building skills and possibility in partnership with APS. We support after-school programming, partner with unions for pre-apprenticeship programs, and provide the opportunity, community, and care that prevents young people from falling into crime to begin with.
For the small businesses that are the backbone of our economy, the City should have a customer-service mentality where permits and inspections are fast, red tape is cut, and incentives drive innovation based in local success.
For our neighborhoods and city centers, publicly developed green housing can bring down the cost of rent, open the door to home ownership, and – when done with a municipal solar program and community-benefit agreements that provide as much for the workers as the current mayor does to developers – can create revenue for other city programs while also raising wages for Albuquerque breadwinners who are currently finding themselves having to spend more time on the clock than with their families.
None of this is something the city has to do alone. We have an incredible non-profit and mission-driven business sector that should be seen as a partner and collaborator with the city as coordinator at the center.
We can add housing density in our downtown and support a robust and reliable transit system city-wide, allow from more than big box stores to be built in some of our neighborhoods, and clean up and revitalize our parks.
Albuquerque is too special to let it be taken advantage of or have it be handed over to candidates feeding on cynicism instead of solutions. We can preserve its culture and build its future.
Respectfully,
Alex Uballez
VOTE FOR CHANGE
There wouldn’t be this many candidates running if a clear majority of voters weren’t ready for change this November. I hope to have readers support and am ready to get to work for a safer, stronger Albuquerque that works for all of us.
PLATFORM AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
The “Alex Uballez for Mayor” web page contains the following biographical information that merits review:
Alex Uballez is a husband, father, and tireless advocate for community safety, economic opportunity, and justice.
As the former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, he dedicated himself to serving the people. He held cartel leaders and human traffickers accountable and oversaw the largest fentanyl seizure in FBI history. His office uncovered a DWI corruption scheme stretching back 20 years that involved multiple law enforcement agencies. He brought charges, secured convictions, and showed no one is above the law.
But Alex knows public safety goes beyond arrests. He was a key figure in launching Albuquerque’s Violence Intervention Program, now part of the Albuquerque Community Safety Department. His office created New Mexico’s first federal reentry court so people who are struggling but seek to take a different path have a tool to build a different life and contribute to their communities. He also led a regional effort to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, launching the first database of its kind in the U.S.
Alex believes in transparent, efficient government that serves the needs of the people, not just the wealthy and well connected. Despite the Department of Justice’s largest budgetary shortfall in history, Alex kept the office financially stable. He restructured the office, deepened collaboration with state, local, and tribal governments, and ensured federal resources aligned with community needs.
Alex’s commitment to justice and strengthening community is personal. Raised in a family that values resilience and hard work, he understands the importance of opportunity, sacrifice, and service. His mother immigrated to the United States at age seven, and his father was raised in public housing. From an early age, Alex understood the value of opportunity, sacrifice, and service.
Today, he and his wife Gabrielle—born and raised in Albuquerque’s North Valley—are raising their own family in the same Albuquerque home they moved into over a decade ago. He walks his kids to school each day, braids their hair in the mornings, and proudly shuttles them to flamenco performances across the city.
Fifteen years protecting Albuquerque families.
- As a state prosecutor, Alex specialized in crimes against children, securing multiple life convictions against people who killed children.
- As a federal prosecutor, Alex focused on drug trafficking cartels, including the extradition of the notorious leader of La Linea, the enforcement wing of the Juarez Cartel.
- As U.S. Attorney, Alex led the largest fentanyl bust in FBI’s history, and the investigation which would eventually lead to the largest fentanyl bust in DEA’s history.
- As U.S. Attorney, Alex also uncovered thirty years of public corruption in APD’s DWI unit, led major public safety initiatives—including the violence intervention program that is now a part of the Albuquerque Community Safety Department—and established the first federal re-entry court in New Mexico.
The link to the Uballez for Mayor web page is here:
https://alexforalbuquerque.com/aboutalex/
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL POLL REVISITED
On Sunday, September 28, the Albuquerque Journal published the results of an opinion poll on the 2025 Albuquerque’s Mayor race. The poll was conducted by Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc whose President is Brian Sanderoff. Research & Polling Inc is the exclusive polling company for the Albuquerque Journal. For at least the 40 past years, it has polled in New Mexico political races and it is considered the “gold standard” and one of the four top politcal pollsters in the country for is history of accuracy.
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%
POLL BREAKDOWN ACCORDING TO PARTY AFFILIATION
Tim Keller’s total 29% poll number was broken down as being 43% registered Democrat, 8% being registered Republican and 28% being registered Independent.
Darren White’s 16% total poll number was broken down as being 5% registered Democrat, 35% being registered Republican and 9% being registered Independent.
Alex Uballez’s poll number of 6% broke down as 9% Democrat, 1% Republican and 5% registered Independent. Uballez has positioned himself as a progressive alternative to Keller and received more support from younger voters than did White. But Uballez’s support withered among voters age 50 and older, who tend to be more reliable voters.
Louie Sanchez’s poll number of 6% broke down as 3% Democrat, 12% Republican and 4 Independent.
The 37% total of the “undecided or don’t know” voters was broken down as consisting of 35% registered Democrat, 36% registered Republican and 47% registered Independent.
Although the Albuquerque Journal Poll found that Mayor Tim Keller has the lead in his bid to win reelection to a third term, the poll 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.
The link to the quoted or relied upon Albuquerque Journal article is here:
https://www.abqjournal.com/election/article_bf155bf7-2226-486b-ac34-07ca23e0173b.html
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
The September 28 Albuquerque Journal poll is the only poll of any real substance that has been taken in the 2025 Mayors race and that has been made public. The Albuquerque Journal will not be taking another poll before the election. One candidate has said the Albuquerque Journal has said it will NOT be endorsing in the 2025 Mayor’s race.
Polls are nothing more than a “snapshot” in time reflecting public opinion and all to often become self-fulling prophecies. All too often, polls do a major disservice to candidates, ultimately influencing public opinion and ending candidacies. Low opinion polls for candidates tend to dry up campaign contributions making it impossible for candidates to continue with a campaign. This is what essentially happened to Mayling Armijo securing 1%, Eddie Varela securing 2% and Daniel Chavez securing 1% in the Albuquerque Journal Poll. Daniel Chavez said he dropped out of the race and did not see a viable path forward because of his poor showing in the Albuquerque Journal poll after spending $100,000 of his own money to gather qualifying nominating signatures.
Confidential sources have confirmed yet another poll has in fact been taken within the last week on the 4 top tier candidates of Keller, White, Sanchez and Uballez, but its uncertain who took the poll and if it was done by a measured finance committee. It is not at all likely the results of that poll will be released to the public.
Since the Albuquerque Journal poll, the candidates have had only two media sponsored debates, with one between the 4 top contenders and the other between all six candidates. The candidates have had a limited number of joint interactions at business forums and neighborhood associations.
Mayor Keller, Darren White and Louie Sanchez have been the only three who been able to afford to produce commercials with Keller overwhelming hitting the air waves with two commercials, Sanchez with one commercial and White with one commercial. Keller has had the commanding financial advantage of $733,000 in public campaign funds he received after qualifying for public finance and maintaining that advantage. Throughout the campaign his 5 opponents have struggled to raise donations to compete during this year’s election cycle.
More than a few political pundits are now offering their so called “expert opinions” on the final outcome of the race with the election just one week away, with those opinions usually based on “gut instincts” and nothing substantive. Some are saying that there will be a runoff between Mayor Tim Keller and Darren White. Some are saying there will be a runoff between Mayor Tim Keller and Louie Sanchez, who is now securing significant Republican support. Others are saying that Alex Uballez will surprise all and make it into the runoff with Keller.
Still others are saying Mayor Keller has run a “flawless” campaign, despite losing his cool and chastising the audience at the Greater Albuquerque Area Realtors (GAAR) forum for believing his opponents “red meat” and telling them not to vote for him. Some political opinion experts are going so far as saying Keller has overcome his 42% disapproval rating and will win outright and that there will be no runoff. Most if not all of the pundits are saying Mayor Keller will come first on November 4. Mayor Keller for his part says there will be a runoff. Albuquerque Journal Political Opinion Columnist Jeff Tucker says Keller will win outright and that after the election, term limits need to be discussed even though the courts decided the issue 30 years ago and ruled term limits are unconstitutional in Albuquerque municipal elections.
The blunt reality is all the so called “political experts” who run their mouths off to politcal gossip columnists are usually giving their “gut analysis” without having any “boots on the ground” . They usually have no accurate gauge for the races, do not know what’s going on within campaigns nor know how many voters are being reached.
Voters need to just ignore all the noise of the campaigns and ignore all the polls, and vote their conscience and make informed decisions. Voters should especially ignore the politcal pundits, critics and gossip columnist who often have never run for office themselves, who have never been the “man in the arena” like Teddy Roosevelt described, and who just run off their mouths trying to be influencers or “king makers.”
Early voting ends on Saturday November 1. Under Albuquerque’s city charter, the two top finishers in the mayor’s race will face off in a run-off election if the top finisher does not receive 50% or more of the votes cast. If it’s necessary, this year’s run-off election will take place on December 9.
In the final analysis, the only poll that counts and that is 100% accurate is the final vote counted on November 4. Please vote!
Below are links to related Dinelli News and Commentary articles: