Albuquerque voters head to the polls for the mayoral runoff election
By Jeanette DeDios, Florian Knowles
December 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM MST
Tuesday is a runoff election day in Albuquerque for two city council districts and the mayor.
On the northeast side of town, there were mixed reviews on who voters wanted to lead the city. While near the University of New Mexico, voters who selected the current mayor, Democrat Tim Keller, were still divided about that choice.
At a polling station on Paseo del Norte, Ken Zengara, a small business owner, said he sees Republican challenger Darren White as a change in direction and leadership to help tackle the city’s issues.
“Crime is a number one issue, I think, and helping the homeless and getting them off the street,” he said. “And different leadership in the police force and managing the city budget.”
Josh Fierro is an IT support technician and said he will also be voting for White because Keller has had two terms and he’s seen a lack of safety.
“I have an eight-year-old daughter. I don't feel comfortable going out to restaurants, parking lots,” he said. “It's not safe to drive, a lot of uninsured motorists, just the lack of law enforcement.”
Some voters say they’re lukewarm on Mayor Keller, but not enough to switch. Abigail Townsend, a barista, said issues like abortion, LGBTQ+, and civil rights are on the line and she does not trust the GOP to make decisions on those.
“I don't want a Republican to be our mayor ever,” she said. “I'm not the biggest Tim Keller fan, but in between that and Darren White, I'd much prefer Tim Keller.”
Donna Ziggler, a medicare advocate said she voted for Tim Keller because White isn’t the change Albuquerque needs.
“I'm hoping he'll stick to some of his campaign promises and work on things like the drug problem and the homeless problem here. But I also don't think that letting ICE run rampant in our city is going to fix anything, either,” she said.
At the UNM polling site, Ryan Dinger, 39, said that he’s voted in almost every election since he turned 18, and today was not one he could sit out.
“This election is pretty important,” Dinger said. “There’s like two candidates that have very different visions for Albuquerque, so I felt coming out today was pretty important.”
Starting off her voter journey was Ari Rosner-Salazar, who turned 18 after the general election a month ago. This has been the moment she’s been waiting for for a long time.
“I’ve always really wanted to vote. I’ve been really interested and motivated to be a part of our political system and try and help for change, I have a lot of really strong opinions,” she said. “And I know voting is one of the things we can tangibly do to help.”
She and Dinger both voted for Keller.
“I know it's not perfect, but I do think the city is moving in the right direction in terms of the economy and I’ve definitely seen growth,” he said.
Rosner-Salazar said she and her roommate both had issues with the current mayor, but still voted for him.
“While we didn’t like a lot of Keller’s policies, specifically in the runoff – a lot of Keller’s homeless sweeps I felt were not very good – we voted for him in contrast of White’s poorer policy,” she said.
The Albuquerque Journal reported early voting turnout has been robust, with about 83,000 voters casting early or absentee ballots, compared to nearly 75,500 early and absentee votes ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Ziggler said that if people don’t exercise their right to vote, it may be taken away.
“Because so many people don't realize that these rights were fought for, especially for those of us that are either female or people of color, they wouldn't have tried to keep us from voting if our voice didn't matter,” said Ziggler.
In addition to the mayoral race, voters in Southwest Albuquerque and the West Side can vote in the runoff for their city councilors.
Polls are open until 7 pm and as long as you are in line by that time, you can still vote. Find a polling place here.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
On the northeast side of town, there were mixed reviews on who voters wanted to lead the city. While near the University of New Mexico, voters who selected the current mayor, Democrat Tim Keller, were still divided about that choice.
At a polling station on Paseo del Norte, Ken Zengara, a small business owner, said he sees Republican challenger Darren White as a change in direction and leadership to help tackle the city’s issues.
“Crime is a number one issue, I think, and helping the homeless and getting them off the street,” he said. “And different leadership in the police force and managing the city budget.”
Josh Fierro is an IT support technician and said he will also be voting for White because Keller has had two terms and he’s seen a lack of safety.
“I have an eight-year-old daughter. I don't feel comfortable going out to restaurants, parking lots,” he said. “It's not safe to drive, a lot of uninsured motorists, just the lack of law enforcement.”
Some voters say they’re lukewarm on Mayor Keller, but not enough to switch. Abigail Townsend, a barista, said issues like abortion, LGBTQ+, and civil rights are on the line and she does not trust the GOP to make decisions on those.
“I don't want a Republican to be our mayor ever,” she said. “I'm not the biggest Tim Keller fan, but in between that and Darren White, I'd much prefer Tim Keller.”
Donna Ziggler, a medicare advocate said she voted for Tim Keller because White isn’t the change Albuquerque needs.
“I'm hoping he'll stick to some of his campaign promises and work on things like the drug problem and the homeless problem here. But I also don't think that letting ICE run rampant in our city is going to fix anything, either,” she said.
At the UNM polling site, Ryan Dinger, 39, said that he’s voted in almost every election since he turned 18, and today was not one he could sit out.
“This election is pretty important,” Dinger said. “There’s like two candidates that have very different visions for Albuquerque, so I felt coming out today was pretty important.”
Starting off her voter journey was Ari Rosner-Salazar, who turned 18 after the general election a month ago. This has been the moment she’s been waiting for for a long time.
“I’ve always really wanted to vote. I’ve been really interested and motivated to be a part of our political system and try and help for change, I have a lot of really strong opinions,” she said. “And I know voting is one of the things we can tangibly do to help.”
She and Dinger both voted for Keller.
“I know it's not perfect, but I do think the city is moving in the right direction in terms of the economy and I’ve definitely seen growth,” he said.
Rosner-Salazar said she and her roommate both had issues with the current mayor, but still voted for him.
“While we didn’t like a lot of Keller’s policies, specifically in the runoff – a lot of Keller’s homeless sweeps I felt were not very good – we voted for him in contrast of White’s poorer policy,” she said.
The Albuquerque Journal reported early voting turnout has been robust, with about 83,000 voters casting early or absentee ballots, compared to nearly 75,500 early and absentee votes ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
Ziggler said that if people don’t exercise their right to vote, it may be taken away.
“Because so many people don't realize that these rights were fought for, especially for those of us that are either female or people of color, they wouldn't have tried to keep us from voting if our voice didn't matter,” said Ziggler.
In addition to the mayoral race, voters in Southwest Albuquerque and the West Side can vote in the runoff for their city councilors.
Polls are open until 7 pm and as long as you are in line by that time, you can still vote. Find a polling place here.
Support for this coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.