S.F. event to raise funds for Keller’s Duke City mayoral run
PAC backing auditor already has collected $15K from city residents
Tim Keller may be running for mayor of Albuquerque, but he is raising plenty of money in Santa Fe.
A political action committee backing the Democratic state auditor in his bid for the top job in the Duke City is planning a fundraiser at Meow Wolf this week featuring major players in local Democratic politics.
The City Different is not a surprising choice, as Santa Fe residents have chipped in upward of $15,000 to support the group, ABQ Forward Together, according to its campaign finance reports.
And as Albuquerque’s mayoral race heads into a runoff between Keller and Republican City Councilor Dan Lewis, it has turned into a flashpoint in New Mexico politics, with both parties plowing resources into the technically nonpartisan contest.
“Now, more than ever, building and supporting progressive leadership in New Mexico is critical,” local activists and political donors Morty Simon and Carol Oppenheimer wrote in an invitation for the event.
Called “We’re ALL in for Tim,” the fundraiser Wednesday will feature Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales and state House Speaker Brian Egolf. According to an announcement, it is sponsored by several labor unions, groups including the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club and Drug Policy Action Fund, as well as local political leaders, including City Councilors Signe Lindell and Renee Villarreal, and mayoral candidate Alan Webber.
Keller’s campaign is publicly financed, but the committee has been supporting him. Meanwhile, Lewis is privately financing his campaign but appears to have raised little if any money from Santa Fe residents.
Winning over the mayor’s office in Albuquerque would be a victory for Democrats after two terms of Republican Richard J. Berry. But the results Nov. 14 could also signal what is to come in the general election next year, when the Governor’s Office and the state House of Representatives are up for grabs — including swing districts in Albuquerque.