ABQ Mayor '21: Aragon Survives Ballot Challenge And Then Wins Endorsement Of Divided GOP; Gonzales Still Tied In Legal Knots As Keller Preps Crucial TV Ads

He's nothing if not resilient. First, radio talk show host Eddy Aragon defied expectations by getting over 3,000 petition signatures in just two weeks to qualify for the November 2 mayoral ballot and now he's survived a residency challenge to his candidacy in district court that could have tossed him off the ballot. 

Aragon is the only Republican among the three mayoral candidates but BernCo Sheriff Manny Gonzales is campaigning as a conservative Democrat against Dem Mayor Tim Keller so Aragon's survival is a direct blow to him. And there's a new angle. The NMGOP, deeply divided over the voluble Aragon, threw in the towel following the Friday court ruling and embraced the outsider as one of their own: 

This means Republicans. . . have. . . a strong conservative seeking the top job at Albuquerque City Hall. RPNM supports all Republican candidates, and now there's a GOP candidate for mayor. . .Albuquerque is a city in crisis: crime is out of control and the city is in desperate need of new leadership to steer it on a better course. Republicans now have a mayoral candidate who will fight for conservative values and make Albuquerque the great city it can be.

That official endorsement will mean money and votes for the ABQ native. How much and how many are the questions to be answered. 

Technically city elections are nonpartisan but partisanship has always been the major factor.

MANNY'S LEGAL KNOTS

While Aragon was untying the legal shackles that kept his candidacy hostage, Manny Gonzales was still tied in legal knots, scheduled to be back in court tomorrow in a final bid to secure over $600,000 in public financing crucial to his effort. 

Gonzales has been losing left and right in that fight--from the city clerk, a city hearing officer, a second time before the clerk and the NM Supreme court which refused hear an appeal. Tomorrow Gonzales will again ask the judge who ordered a second hearing from the city clerk--which he lost--to tell the clerk to release the funds. 

If he loses Gonzales will have to raise money privately and quickly. Not an easy task when the R's are falling behind Aragon and the legal process may have irrevocably stained the reputation of the longtime lawman. 

MURDER AND MAYHEM

Aragon

The murder and mayhem that has become part of ABQ life continues but Gonzales has not laid a glove on Keller who is now poised to flood TV with hundreds of thousands in taxpayer financed ads. Insiders say he was shooting those ads over the weekend. 

He will be on the air in plenty of time to influence early absentee votes when ballots are sent out October 5 and in full battle mode when critical in-person voting starts Oct. 15. Will Gonzales and Aragon?

More troubling news for the challengers. There has been only one joint appearance between the three candidates thus far and according to Keller's website the next one isn't slated until the end of the month. That is depriving Keller's foes of desperately needed opportunities to confront him directly and personally over the crime wave. The TV debates won't come until late October and with early voting so prevalent that could be too late. 

WEARY VOTERS

TJ Trout

Radio talker TJ Trout of ABQ's KKOB, coming at the race from a neutral corner, says the lack of forums is another indication that we are headed for a low voter turnout Nov 2:

People seem tired of politics after the raging battles of 2020 as well as this year. Covid fatigue has translated into political fatigue. The issues in ABQ couldn't be bigger but the crowd needs to be warmed up, big time. 

The late start of his opponents puts Keller way ahead right now. His reelection would be a given if it were not for the historic murder rate, the continued high rate of property and other crimes and the chaotic management of the city's police department. That leaves the door ajar, if only a smidgen, for something unexpected but from this point on the Keller challengers will need killer TV ads and near perfect campaigns. 

And Gonzales and Aragon have more than Keller to take on. They are now running against the toughest foe of all--Father Time. 

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(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2021