2,4, 6, 8 Who Do Voters Appreciate? ABQ Council Candidates In Four Districts At The Starting Gate For November Election; Deadline To Qualify For Public Financing Passes; Clear Frontrunners Emerge In Most Contests

There's more clarity in the four ABQ City Council races to be decided at the November city election now that the July 10 deadline has passed for candidates to submit petition signatures to qualify for the ballot and enough $5 donations to qualify for public financing, if they choose to go that route.

The City Clerk is expected to release final numbers this week but we know enough to get to the action with the help of our in-the know-Alligators as well as a Dem political consultant.

District 2--This primarily North Valley, Downtown and South Broadway district is being vacated by longtime Dem Councilor Ike Benton, but his departure isn't setting up any surprises. Joaquin Baca, a member of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, got in early and has qualified for $40,000 in public financing. He has been the front-runner since the start with PERA board member and writer Loretta Naranjo Lopez trying to slow him. But she failed in her bid for public financing, no outside groups are expected to come in for her and Dem Baca, a progressive like Benton, appears headed for a big November win in what was a two way race as of Tuesday night. Moises Gonzalez final petition count was unknown but last Friday he was far behind the number needed to qualify.

District 4--City Councilor Brook Bassan gave her supporters a scare when she had to backtrack over her initial support of the proposal to set up encampments for the homeless around the city. Her fellow Republicans in the GOP leaning district went into an uproar but her subsequent mea culpa has been accepted and she drew no Republican challenger. She submitted the needed 500 petition signatures and also qualified for $42,600 in public financing for her campaign. While Bassan is favored for re-election, it's not without a possibly potent Democratic challenger. Dem consultant Sisto Abeyta explains:

Joe, Abby Foster is an attorney who is a Dem progressive and is the other hopeful on the ballot. She did not seek public financing for her campaign, but she might receive outside financial support from independent progressive committees. That would put her in a position to run a respectable effort but history favors Bassan. She weathered the backlash over the encampments and is a favorite of GOP establishment voters in this NE Heights district who traditionally control the outcome.

Abel Otero

District 6--The bottom line on this race is that it is likely that the winner will be a progressive Democrat, as is Pat Davis who is vacating the seat. After that, it gets a bit muddy:

Abel Otero, a barber and community activist in the SE Heights District that is the most progressive of all nine council districts, is off to a flying start. He easily qualified for the ballot as well as public financing of $40,000. But he has three other Dems on his tail--community activist Kristin Greene, business consultant Nichole Rogers and Jeff Hoehn, a nonprofit executive who did not seek public financing. We're awaiting word from the City Clerk on whether Green and Rogers, who both appear to  have qualified for the ballot, will also qualify for public financing. 

If Rogers, an influencer in the Black community, does not get the public money, she might not be knocked out because, like Abby Foster in District 4, she could attract independent progressive cash. But Green will need the public financing to be a factor in November. There is also an independent in the race, dentist Joseph Pitluck Aguirre, who will be on the ballot and is not seeking public financing. Abeyta's analysis:

No candidate will likely get the 50 percent of the vote to win outright in November and there will be a run-off between the top two. Based on his campaign thus far, Otero appears to be the leader in making that run-off. Rogers got in late and it hurt her and Green has been out organized. The barber has run a razor sharp effort.

Nice pun there, Sisto. We would add that Otero is being handled by consultant Brandon Padilla who formerly worked for Mayor Keller. Otero is colorful candidate--literally. He sports a plethora of tattoos. He has been calling for better crime fighting in the District where the Gateway Center for the homeless and the closing of a large Wal-Mart will also be campaign issues.

In the first draft Hoehn was identified as a Republican and Pitluck Aguirre as a Republican. Aguirre recently switched to independent.

District 8--Democrat Idalia Lechuga-Tena has run for office before and in this campaign she has done everything right. Petition signatures to get on the ballot? Check. Getting the required small donations to qualify for $44,577 in public financing? Check. Getting Democrats in the Republican dominated district being vacated by Councilor Trudy Jones behind her candidacy? Check. The problem? The GOP writes the checks in this area that includes affluent neighborhoods like Tanoan. The district has consistently voted in a GOP councilor. This time around that would be retired APD officer Daniel Champine who has been running a more sluggish effort than the peripatetic Lechuga-Tena. But with the help of the GOP he got on the ballot and also qualfied for public financing. She'll outwork him but will need some big breaks in this Republican stronghold. 

As things stand the analysts and Alligators see no change in the 5 to 4 Democratic make up of ABQ City Council after the November vote. But the new council can be expected to be more feisty with second term Mayor Keller. He has already indicated he will be seeking a third term in 2025, despite anemic approval ratings.

This is the home of New Mexico politics.

E-mail your news and comments. (newsguy@yahoo.com)

Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.  

(c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2023