{"id":48261,"date":"2025-12-05T17:32:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T00:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/?p=48261"},"modified":"2025-12-05T17:32:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T00:32:24","slug":"ready-set-runoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newmexicopbs.org\/productions\/newmexicoinfocus\/ready-set-runoff\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready, Set, Runoff!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This week marks our last show before Albuquerque learns who the mayor will be in 2026 and beyond. Election Day for the runoff between Tim Keller, the incumbent, and his challenger, Darren White, is Tuesday.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as the results came in for the regular local election last month, we started planning our coverage for the runoff. At the center would, of course, be either a Keller-White debate or, if the candidates wouldn\u2019t agree to a more wide-ranging, direct-engagement format than what typically passes for debates these days, one-on-one interviews with our host, Nash Jones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We got ahold of the White and Keller camps to get things moving.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They never moved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keller turned us down first, with his campaign manager arguing that the mayor had already sat with us for an interview<\/a> before the regular election \u2014 never mind that the race had narrowed since then from seven candidates to two \u2014 and that he\u2019d have ample time to speak to voters in three commercial-television debates. And besides, she said, the campaign would need to focus on get-out-the-vote efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

White\u2019s campaign manager said no, too, essentially giving us the same story she\u2019d offered before the regular election: The former Bernalillo County sheriff, Albuquerque public safety boss and cannabis entrepreneur simply wouldn\u2019t have time to talk with NMPBS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have seen Nash\u2019s social media video<\/a> encouraging our audience to contact the campaigns and encourage them to appear on public television. It\u2019s our understanding that some of you did \u2014 and we appreciate that \u2014 but it didn\u2019t work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alas.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We still found a way to preview the runoff in this week\u2019s show, with the help of our crew and KOB-TV News Director Matt Grubs, who generously allowed us to use some clips from his station\u2019s debate<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll be back next week to break down the results. We\u2019ll then move on after that, looking ahead to the upcoming legislative session, the gubernatorial race and a million other stories we plan to explore in the coming weeks, months and years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, thanks for watching and for your support of our show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Jeff Proctor, Executive Producer\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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