Wow, what a night! From Coloradans voting to fund lunch for kids by ending tax breaks for the wealthy to NYC choosing a candidate for the people over a Trump and billionaire-funded candidate, there’s no question that the people will be heard!
Here in New Mexico, it was no different, with voters showing up for key progressive candidates in Tuesday’s local elections, sending a signal that it will not be business as usual, even without statewide and federal positions to vote on.
Starting with a big win: overall turnout in NM increased by 95,000+ voters compared to the last municipal election in 2023, including close to 6,000 who leveraged Same Day Registration.
A whopping 34% of voters turned out in Bernalillo County, up from 22% in 2023
With constant attacks on our communities from Trump and Republicans in Washington, it’s clear that New Mexicans took to the polls to protect our families, neighbors, and community.
Some of the most exciting outcomes included Las Cruces holding the line with a progressive City Council and School Board, and an Albuquerque Public School Board now made up of a majority of teachers union backed candidates.
As expected, corporate special interest groups also poured money in to try to influence elections. That included $300K from out of state billionaire Reed Hastings to the NM KidsCAN PAC to back anti-union and worker candidates in multiple APS school board races, as well as $6K from oil and gas titan Harvey Yates to Albuquerque mayoral candidate Louie Sanchez, and $15K from the Weh Family – NM’s most influential Republicans and mega Trump donors – to Darren White to “save” Albuquerque.
Despite the corporate elite trying to buy our elections (again), New Mexicans knew who would stand with them and rejected establishment and corporate candidates. Here’s a breakdown of how New Mexico fared…
Key Progressive Wins
- Stephanie Telles and Teresa Garcia move to a runoff election in ABQ City Council Districts 1 and 3. Both candidates were the subject of lawsuits from people with close ties to their opponents who tried to unfairly remove them from the ballot. They were also outspent in the election, but both still got enough votes for a runoff due to their focus on hardworking families and not the elite/status quo.
- Rebecca Betzen ousts current APS School Board President Danielle Gonzales. After a confusing two years where Gonzales pushed the board toward a more corporate model and attempted to limit board members’ community engagement, the Albuquerque Teachers Federation-backed candidate Betzen picked up the seat 49% to 40%, along with a clear win by another ATF backed candidate, Margaret Warigia Bowman, who handily beat David Ams 61% to 38% in District 6.
- Dina Ortega picks up Portales City Council Ward A. Ortega delivered a progressive win for voters in Roosevelt County.
- Clear wins on Las Cruces City Council. Becky Corran defended her seat by picking up a resounding 62% of votes, and highly endorsed newcomer Michael Harris won his seat with 55% of the vote.
- Las Cruces School Board stands strong. Despite years of attempts, three incumbent LC School Board candidates with wonderful progressive voting records all won reelection by significant margins.
- Deming just elected a progressive to their City Council, electing Laura Parra, who was endorsed by New American Leaders Action Fund!
- Farmington School Board. At the time of publishing, climate champion Alyssa Begay appears to have won her race for School Board by EIGHT votes in Farmington. We’re holding our breath to see another great leader emerge from last night’s victories!
Trends to watch going forward
If it feels like there’s been a shift at the local level, that’s because there was. While not every race ended in victory, there are clear signs the progressive bloc in NM is growing.
For example, Alex Uballez, a first time candidate in the ABQ Mayor’s race, had a strong showing with 19% of the vote, compared to Darren White at 31% and incumbent mayor Tim Keller at 36%, who will both be in a runoff in early December.
Close races in Portales City Council where progressives ran strong are another indication that the winds are changing, as are the results that led to a runoff in Albuquerque City Council Districts 1 and 3.
Conversations on the ground also make one thing very clear: New Mexicans, and people across the US, recognize the real problem…
Skyrocketing grocery prices, housing costs, giving tax breaks to the ultra wealthy, and trying to control our daily lives and freedoms are all about Trump and the billionaires getting rich off of hardworking families.
We’re tired of them building massive fortunes on our backs. It’s time to build our own future.