On Sunday November 29, the Albuquerque Journal published on its editorial opinion page the below “Local Columnist” opinion column by Progressive Democrat and former United States Attorney for New Mexico Alexander Uballez who was one of 6 candidates who ran for Mayor against Tim Keller and came in third garnering 18.79% of the vote on November 4. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, a runoff for Mayor is now scheduled for December 9 between the two top vote getters Mayor Tim Keller, who secured 35.69% of the vote and Republican Sherriff Darren White who secured 30.65%

Journal Editor’s Headline: “Keller Is The Right Choice”

Local Column By Alexander Uballez

“Our campaign was about delivering results for working families, protecting the most vulnerable, respecting our tribal neighbors and building a city that works for us all.

I ran because people are frustrated that Albuquerque feels stuck. That is why most of us voted for change on Nov. 4. The anger and apathy are real; and this is exactly what candidates like Darren White count on. White knows that when people grow disillusioned, cruelty can masquerade as change. It is a trap, one that turns our frustration into a weapon and moves us backward.

So while we deserve better, we cannot lose sight of the fact that worse is possible.

White’s record makes that clear. Under his watch, the Albuquerque Police Department was defined by a culture of aggression and excessive deadly force, a crisis that cost lives, shattered public trust and forced the city into a decade of federal oversight, let alone tens of millions of dollars in reform costs.

He is alleged to have interfered in law enforcement matters, from removing his former wife from a DWI investigation to compromising the death scene of civil rights attorney Mary Han. He earned a rare rebuke of his own rank-and-file through a vote of no-confidence from the State Police Officers Association. And after resigning in protest over marijuana legalization, he went on to make millions in the marijuana industry. This is a career defined by a disregard for the law, for the officers that served under him, and for the public he was sworn to protect.

As mayor, White would return Albuquerque to the worst mistakes of its past: cutting core public services, criminalizing homelessness and mental illness, turning our immigrant neighbors over to the Trump administration, and inviting new scandals that put his interests above the city’s needs.

That is not the change we voted for.

That’s why, on election night, I made it clear: Our work now is to keep White out of City Hall. That night, between our campaign and Mayor Tim Keller’s, a majority of voters chose a forward-looking vision — one rooted in real solutions like Albuquerque Community Safety, investment in prevention and intervention, services and treatment for the unhoused and zoning that allows smart people-centered growth.

While we may have disagreed about how to best achieve these goals, we cannot be complacent about the goals themselves.

Our true challenge in this runoff is not that voters will choose White, but that they will choose to stay home. Our work now is to inspire those who are angry and apathetic — not just to vote against regression but to vote for a future grounded in dignity, shared success and protecting our neighbors. Keller is now the only candidate whose plan keeps us on a path toward that future.

This election will shape the conditions in which we work together to build our city over the next four years. Our charge is clear: Keep Darren White out of City Hall. Then keep organizing after Election Day so that Keller delivers for the people of Albuquerque.

We vote to create the conditions to demand a government that protects immigrant neighbors, strengthens public safety, treats the unhoused with dignity, honors tribal consultation and sacred sites, provides rental assistance and tenant protections and adopts community-benefit agreements so working-class residents have a voice in our city’s growth.

This campaign has shown me something I have always believed: Albuquerque’s greatest strength is not our politicians, it is our people. It is because of you — our neighbors, our friends, our communities — that we can take on the hard work ahead.

I believe better is possible. On Dec. 9, vote accordingly.”

The link to read the Uballez column is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/article_47de6224-c105-44f6-a6fd-daf0b4dbc3e0.html

ELECTION RESULTS RECALLED

The results of the November 4, 2025  election for Mayor of Albuquerque were reported by the New Mexico secretary of State as follows:

• Timothy Keller             47,911                (36%)
• Darren White               41,137                (31%)
• Alexander Uballez      25,213                 (19%)
• Louie Sanchez             8,647                   (6%)
• Mayling Armijo              7,673                  (6%)
• Eddie Varela                2,280                   (2%)
• Daniel Chavez             1,366                   (1%)

TOTAL VOTES                 134,227                 (100%)

The links to news sources are here:

https://electionresults.sos.nm.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=MUX&map=CTY

https://www.kob.com/politics-news/decision-2025-metro-area-election-results/?cb=1763357730135

Since none of the seven candidates received 50% of the vote, a runoff will now be held on December 9 between Tim Keller and Darren White.

ELECTION NIGHT CONCESSION

Alexander Uballez mounted the fiercest challenge of the other four candidates receiving 25,213 or 19% of the vote. Uballez positioned himself as a more  progressive alternative to Keller saying that Keller was not doing enough to deal with protecting undocumented immigrants and that Keller has been a failure dealing with the homeless in a compassionate manner.

On election night, Alexander Uballez in his concession speech said this of his third-place finish:

“While we wanted to be in the runoff, our campaign is not stopping here. 20% is the bloc that will decide the runoff. … We cannot allow the keys to Albuquerque to be handed over to Darren White who would roll-over for Donald Trump.”

With his remarks on election night, Progressive Democrat Uballez urged his supporters not to support Darren White but stopped short of formally endorsing Mayor Keller outright.

KELLER AND UBALLEZ MEET TWICE

On November 18, the Albuquerque Journal reported that Mayor Tim Keller and Alex Uballez  met twice after November 4 election day to discuss the possibility of Uballez formally endorsing Mayor Keller for a third 4 year term. Representatives from four nonprofit organizations that backed Uballez’s campaign attended one  meeting with Uballez to met with Keller. The 4 organizations were Organized Power in Numbers, New Mexico Native Vote, New Mexico Working Families and Organizers in the Land of Enchantment (OLÉ).  All 4 organizations are considered highly progressive and assisted the Uballez campaign either with donations, volunteers or phone banking.

Among the demands Uballez made of Keller for a formal endorsement was to ask Mayor Keller to commit to eliminating homeless encampment sweeps, expand city rental assistance programs  and work with tribal groups to protect Albuquerque’s petroglyphs. Uballez did  not ask for anything for himself but did ask for concessions on policy matters that could be used to convince his supporters to vote for Keller’s reelection. Keller declined to make any commitment on the issues discussed.

The four progressive organizations who attended the Uballez-Keller meeting issued a joint statement on Monday, November 11 that described the meeting as productive but not definitive. The statement said this:

“The majority of the people of Albuquerque reject Darren White’s outdated and ineffective approach; but to turn them out to vote again in a runoff, they need to be catalyzed by a bold and comprehensive vision from the mayor that does more than defending what has been and points to the better that would be possible if they come out to cast a ballot again.”

In a statement issued on Monday, November 17, Mayor Keller said that he was not inclined to agree to Uballez’s  demands just to get his endorsement and backing.  Keller said this of his meeting with Uballez and the progressive organizations:

“We had productive meetings and identified a great deal of common ground, but we made it clear that we will not engage in quid pro quo endorsements for his support or anyone else’s.”

The link to the relied upon and quoted news source is here:

https://www.abqjournal.com/election/article_bda264ac-5eca-4f0d-9509-285aeae53b9e.html

On November 20, the New Mexico Working Families Party (NM-WFP) announced its endorsement of Mayor Tim Keller.  According to a press release issued by NM-WFP, the organization is focused on a platform of “affordability, jobs, homelessness and right relation to indigenous land in the city.”

The link to the relied upon news sources are here:

https://www.dailylobo.com/article/2025/11/keller-earns-key-endorsement-as-runoff-fast-approaches

The progressive organization Indivisible ABQ  has also endorsed Mayor Keller by simply saying this on its web page:

Indivisible Albuquerque Endorses Mayor Tim Keller

We asked our members to vote on this endorsement and the response was overwhelming. We support Tim Keller and urge you to vote for him. His opponent in this run off Dec 9 will be disastrous.  

COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS

The outcome of the December 9 runoff election between Tim Keller and Darren White is not certain and voter turnout will be critical. Based on the politcal attack ads being run by both candidates against each other, the runoff is proving to be the most divisive and negative runoff election in the city’s history. It is very sad to say, but the blunt reality is the runoff election between Tim Keller and Darren White is between the two most disliked candidates for Mayor running against each other.

TWO DISLIKED CANDIDATES

First place finisher in the November 4 election Tim Keller secured 36% of the vote to get into the run off meaning that 64% of the voters voted for another candidate. Second place finisher in the November 4 election Darren White secured 31% of the vote to get into the runoff meaning that 69% voted for another candidate.

Tim Keller is the progressive Democratic Mayor with a low approval rating of 42% who has failed to get the homeless off the streets despite spending upwards of $350 million on five shelters over 3 years with 125 service contracts and programs for the homeless. Keller for 8 years has presided over a city with high historical crime rates despite promising to bring them down and presided over a DWI scandal riddled APD that has 900 sworn with only 350 patrolling the streets after he broke his promise to have 1,100 sworn APD officers when he first ran in 2017.

Republican White is the  former elected official with decade’s of disgraceful conduct and discredited public service. White seeks to divide voters by vilifying the homeless and undocumented immigrants from day one of campaigning with fear mongering thrown in for good measure akin to Donald Trump. White has left high level political appointments in state and city government in controversy or chaos. As the City’s Chief Public Safety Officer appointed by Republican Mayor Richard Berry, White slashed police pay by 8% across the board which lead to a lawsuit costing the city over $5 million. White severely cut officer ranks and slowed hiring and triggered a staffing crisis that APD has yet to recover from it.

DEMOCRATS EXCORIATE UBALLEZ

Since election night November 4, Progressive Democrat Alexander Uballez has been severely excoriated politically by many of Mayor Keller’s progressive supporters and his enablers as well as Bernalillo County Democratic Party members and activists for his failure to formally endorse Mayor Keller for a third term. Many Keller supporters have not been satisfied with Alexander Uballez’s telling his supporters do not vote for Darren White but to vote for Mayor Tim Keller. The criticism reached an “apex of nastiness”  when the argument was made by many Democratic party activists and one politcal gossip columnist in particular that if Progressive Democrat Mayor Keller loses to MAGA Republican Darren White, Uballez will be blamed for Keller’s loss and that Uballez has no future within the Democratic Party for elective office.

The underlying presumption made by Democratic party activist who demanded that Alexander Uballez formally endorse Tim Keller is that Uballez voters are too stupid to decide between the two runoff candidates of Keller and White and that Democratic voters will merely follow the instructions of their failed candidate Uballez. The presumption is laughable! Democrats never walk “goose step” like MAGA Trump supporters. Simply put, New Mexico Democrats engage in spirited debates, sometimes downright hostile, over their candidates and issues, but in the end always seem to get behind their candidates after primaries. The 2016 Democratic Primary between Hillary Clinton and Independent Bernie Sanders comes to mind. 

ELECTION OUTCOME DEPENDANT ON UBALLEZ SUPPORTERS

The outcome of the December 9 runoff election between Progressive Democrat  Mayor Tim  Keller and MAGA Republican Darren White will likely hinge on the 19% of the votes cast for Democrat Alexander Uballez if and only if they get out and vote on December 9. It will NOT hinge on a Uballez endorsement nor anyone else’s endorsement.

Brian Sanderoff, the president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc. that did the Albuquerque Journal poll, told the Albuquerque Journal a Uballez endorsement of Mayor Keller could be politically significant noting that Uballez received as much as 60% of the votes cast in one University of New Mexico voting precinct considered progressive Democrat. Sanderoff said it is not likely that Uballez supporters would back White, but it is not a certainty that they will support Keller in the runoff election or just stay home. Sanderoff said this: “The question is, will they vote?”

The November 16 Albuquerque Journal guest opinion column by Alexander Uballez should be considered a formal endorsement of Mayor Keller even though the word “endorsement” is not used. Democratic Party activists  will no doubt say otherwise and they should be ignored and do us all a favor and just shut up.  Uballez obviously feels he has done enough to help Keller by encouraging his voters NOT to vote for Darren White but vote for Tim Keller.

The Democratic Party activists should recognize that Uballez represents a strong voice demanding accountability that is very much needed within the Democratic party, especially for future elections. Uballez likely has many of his own private reasons for not endorsing Keller sooner nor using the word “endorsement”.  Those reasons likely  include how he was treated by Mayor Tim Keller or the Keller campaign. Despite the treatment, Uballez endorsed Keller. 

ENDORSEMENTS DO NOT WIN ELECTIONS

In the final analysis, endorsements do not win elections. Uballez with his guest column  published by the Albuquerque Journal has now essentially endorsed Tim Keller. Keller should be gracious enough to thank Uballez for his support and ask Uballez supporter’s  to now vote for him in the runoff. Uballez has told his supporters once again not to vote for Darren White and that should be enough of an endorsement, even for Democratic Party activists seeking unity and they should respect him for it and knock off their vilification of Uballez.

It’s now up to Democratic voters to decide to show up election day and vote for Keller no matter their reservations. It is also up to Mayor Tim Keller to make his own case that he is truly deserving of their vote and being elected to a third four-year term over extremist MAGA Republican Darren White.

Early voting for Albuquerque’s runoff election begins December 1 and run through December 6. Election day is December 9.  Please vote!