Candidates differ on District 3 City Council runoff election results

Albuquerque City Councilor Klarissa Peña claimed victory Wednesday, but her opponent had not conceded the District 3 runoff election, citing the narrow vote margin that separated the two candidates.

Unofficial returns showed Peña with a 68-vote advantage over challenger Teresa Garcia out of 6,608 votes cast Tuesday in the runoff election.

If those results hold up, Peña received 50.52% of the vote compared with 49.48% for Garcia.

The Bernalillo County Clerk’s Office began canvassing the returns Wednesday and has until Monday to report the results, a spokesman said.

“I am not conceding at this point,” Garcia said Wednesday. “I’m just exploring my options right now. I just want to make sure that every vote is counted and my community’s voice is heard accurately.”

Garcia has scheduled a news conference for Thursday but declined to say what she plans to announce. Garcia also said she hasn’t decided whether to seek a recount.

Peña, a three-term incumbent, issued a statement Wednesday thanking supporters and District 3 voters and expressing “appreciation to Teresa Garcia for a hard-fought and closely contested race.”

“I am incredibly grateful to the voters of District 3 for their trust and to the many volunteers who stood by me throughout this campaign,” the statement said.

District 3 lies in Southwest Albuquerque, south of Central Avenue and west of the Rio Grande.

State law makes a provision for publicly funded automatic recounts in local elections when the margin between the two candidates is 1% or less. Peña leads Garcia with 1.03 percentage points.

However, Albuquerque is a home rule municipality, meaning it conducts elections under its own city charter, said Alex Curtas, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office.

City Council runoff returns are not eligible for an automatic runoff because the Albuquerque City Charter contains no provision for it, Curtas said in a statement.

“If the losing candidate wishes, they can pay for a recount and would work with the (Bernalillo) County Clerk to determine the cost,” the statement said.