Election '23: Bassan Survives An ABQ Squeaker; Councilor Will Return For Second Term; Politico Geno Zamora Falls In Santa Fe Council Race, Plus: More Results And Analysis

There were no major surprises in the four races for the ABQ City Council as Election Night drew to a close, although the race that promised to be the tightest lived up to its billing and provided the evening with a jolt of adrenaline.  

BernCo results here. Statewide results here. 

ABQ GOP Councilor Brook Bassan, battered by late breaking developments over her ethics, squeaked by Democratic attorney Abby Foster in District 4 in the NE Heights. And it was the far northern precincts of that district with their Republican majorities that bailed out Bassan at the very end. Until then Foster had led all night. Bassan won with 5,158 votes to Foster's 5,000 or 50.78% to 49.22%

The race was rated a toss-up late in the campaign when bad news for Bassan dominated. Foster trounced her in the absentee vote and stayed close to her in the in-person early vote. But on Election Day, which has now turned into a heavy voting day for the GOP, Bassan carried the day and the race. 

Democrats were not counting on a win there and City Council President Pat Davis told our KANW Election Night audience the party will be encouraged to make further inroads into the once reliably conservative district in the next election cycle. 

Bassan's win has less impact than if she had lost. A loss would have strengthened Mayor Keller's hand. A Bassan win keeps the Council status quo where the Mayor occasionally suffers setbacks on a 5 to 4 vote. 

In an interview Keller played it low-key and pointed out that the Council in January will have a number of new faces that he will be working with. He made his comments from the home of one of those new councilors. Democrat Joaquin Baca garnered 51 percent of the vote in a three way race for the Downtown/North Valley District 2. Going over 50 percent meant he avoided a run-off election and will take Councilor Benton's place in the new year. 

Monahan on KANW (Mark Bralley)

Not unexpectedly, there will be a run off in Council District 6 in the SE Heights, the most liberal of  the nine districts. Nichole Rogers was shadowed by ethics charges in the final days but progressives rallied to her side to help push her to 40 percent of the vote against Jeff Hoehn who received 33 percent. Kristin Greene had 18 percent and Abel Otero 10.

There will be a run-off election next month between Rogers and Hoehn but her substantial win and the liberal lean of the district--she was endorsed by US Rep. Melanie Stansbury--makes that run off a lean Rogers affair. She would be the first Black elected to the Council. 

Republicans are happy to hold on to anything in the city these days. In addition to the narrow win by Bassan they were heartened that Republican and retired APD officer Don Champine defeated Dem Idalia Lechuga Tena 54 to 46 in District 8 in the far NE Heights. Champine will replace outgoing Councilor Trudy Jones. 

The City Council will remain five Democrats and four Republicans but Dem Councilor Louie Sanchez often caucuses with the GOP giving them a Council majority of 5, still one short of six--the number needed to override a mayoral veto. 

MULLER-ARAGON LOSES

All the ABQ bonds--$200 million--won overwhelming approval as did the mill levy extension for the ABQ public schools that will take in $265 million over the next five years. The CNM bond also won widespread support. 

But conservative Republican APS board member Peggy Muller-Aragon was defeated in her freshly redrawn district. She lost by 3 points to Ronalda Tome. 

In another closely watched APS board race in the ABQ Valley, 26 year old Janelle Jamie Astorga, a progressive Dem, defeated Robert Trujillo who ran into ethics issues early in the campaign. 

OTHER ACTION

Mayor-elect Craig

In the village of Los Ranchos in Bernalillo County, the much talked about race for Mayor went to Joe Craig who ran a fiery campaign opposing recent housing developments in the village. He beat three others including incumbent Mayor Donald Lopez who finished last. 

In Santa Fe the District 1 City Council race drew a lot of attention because of Geono Zamora, an attorney who has a lot of political connections in high places. But he could not get over the finish line, running a close second to Alma Castro. Zamora had been endorsed by Sen. Heinrich and spent some $80,000. Our analysts said his ties with Mayor Webber may have hurt him.

The Santa Fe "Mansion Tax" that would kick in on homes that sell for more than $1 million won in a landslide but real estate interests think they can stop it in court. 

That tax and hot city council races led to record voter turnout in Santa Fe of 30 percent of the registered. In BernCo turnout was less than 20 percent, on par with previous off-year elections that don't feature a mayoral contest. Statewide turnout was 20 percent of registered voters.

In Las Cruces late Tuesday the race for mayor was still undecided with Kassandra Gandara, who would be the city's first woman to hold the office, holding  a lead over Eric Enriquez. Final ranked choice vote-counting should produce a winner today. 

UPDATE: Eric Enriquez took 52.32% of the vote in the sixth round of ranked choice voting to defeat current District 1 City Councilor Kasandra Gandara (47.68%), according to unofficial results around midnight on Wednesday.  

Thanks to our KANW-FM Election Night team for their great coverage  and thanks to all who tuned in. 

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