How much money was spent on the mayoral race? See how candidates stack up

As polls close Tuesday and vote counts trickle in, mayoral candidates will find out if the money invested into their campaigns will have paid off.

This election cycle, Albuquerque mayoral candidates received nearly $1.9 million in campaign contributions and spent more than $1.6 million of those funds thus far, according to the latest campaign finance reports.

With six candidates in the race, campaign spending is up by more than $350,000 compared to the last mayoral election in 2021.

With an imbalance in campaign contributions among candidates, some appear to have strategized to make their dollar go farther.

Incumbent Tim Keller spent the most on his campaign at $683,885. As the only candidate to qualify for public financing, Keller received $733,968 from the Open and Ethical Election Fund, or $2.25 per registered voter in Albuquerque.

The Public Financing Program was created in 2005 and is intended to even the playing field by funding qualified candidates and lessening the impact big donors have on local races. However, this election cycle brought criticism of that system from candidates who withdrew their bid for public financing.

Former Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White called the program an “incumbent protection plan” and former U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Alex Uballez said the program’s requirements were too much for political newcomers.

Keller defended the program that has twice seen him to the finish line and may deliver on an unprecedented third consecutive term.

“So complaining that public financing doesn’t work is like blaming the ref because you can’t hit your free throws — it’s not the system’s fault you’re falling short,” Keller said in a statement in May.

Contribution breakdown

Outgoing City Councilor Louie Sanchez came second in campaign contributions with $330,619 raised. Sanchez’s top contributor was himself at $160,000, followed by donations from CDG Properties, Hat Mesa Oil Company and Jewelry Market & Supply.

Third is White, who raised $303,235 from a mix of individual donors and private companies. His largest contributions came from Progresss Healthcare Inc., RGL Investments and Peterson Properties.

On social media, Peterson Properties President Doug Peterson has vocally opposed Keller’s bid for reelection, frequently posting photos of vandalism with the call to “#FireTim.”

Uballez raised $287,242 in campaign funds, with $50,000 of it coming from his own wallet. Uballez may have also drawn on connections in the legal profession, with one of his largest donations coming from Roybal-Mack & Cordova, PC, a local law firm. Partner of the firm, Darren Cordova, made an additional donation of nearly $5,800.

Organizers in the Land of Enchantment, a grassroots advocacy group, also backed Uballez with a $5,000 donation.

Former firefighter Eddie Varela and former Bernalillo County Economic Development Director Mayling Armijo round out the bottom of the pack on earning and spending— though there is a vast gap between them.

Varela raised $23,488, while Armijo raised more than eight times as much at $191,707.

Armijo’s top donations all came from individuals, including $65,175 from her own pockets. Two of her top-five contributors were members of her family.

Meanwhile, Varela donated nearly $11,000 to his campaign and received a $4,000 donation from a Measure Finance Committee, Committee to Elect Eddie Varela Mayor of Albuquerque.

The campaign finance filings due Monday were the penultimate reports, with an 11th and final report due in December to account for money spent on and after Election Day.

Where did it go?

The majority of funds, regardless of candidate, went to advertising and promotional material, with a smaller share going toward campaign consultants.

Rivals Keller and White spent the most on promotional material, though they sported different strategies.

Keller spent the most on advertisement, television airtime and production, spending $463,067 in total.

White, however, spent most of his $166,506 promotional budget on postage, mailers and other campaign literature. White also spent $10,000 on ads and $42,296 on TV airtime and production.

Brian Sanderoff, a longtime New Mexico political observer and president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., said this difference in strategy is a result of the campaigns’ financial means.

“If you got the money — go on TV and complement it with digital — that’s a good strategy for people with the big budget,” Sanderoff said. “Someone with a smaller budget has to take an even more targeted approach.”

Mailers are cheap and direct, Sanderoff said, while television is expensive and broad, but highly persuasive. White’s strategy appears to be consolidating the Republican vote and swaying independents through targeted mailers, Sanderoff said.

After Keller, Sanchez spent the most on advertisements at $88,473.

Armijo spread her $57,399 promotional budget across mediums, buying ads with Meta, putting up billboards, sending mailers and securing radio airtime.

Digital ads can also be effective, Sanderoff said, because similar to mail, they can be highly targeted to specific demographics.

Varela spent the least on promotional material at $3,711, which is only a few hundred more than the $3,450 he reportedly spent on food, beverages and meals during his campaign. Varela spent the most on meals compared to the five other candidates.

After more than $1.6 million spent, the final call is up to voters as they cast their ballots Tuesday.