Albuquerque_mayoral_election,_2017
The 2017 Albuquerque mayoral election was a nonpartisan election, held on October 3 and November 14, 2017, to choose the next mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Richard J. Berry, the incumbent mayor, did not seek reelection. This was the first mayoral election in Albuquerque without an incumbent candidate in twenty years. All candidates ran on the same ballot. No candidate reached 50% of the vote in the initial round held on October 3, and so a runoff election was held November 14 between the top two finishers.[1]
The race was non-partisan (i.e., party affiliations do not appear on the ballot).[2] However, "although the election is nonpartisan, a candidate’s political affiliation obviously can play a role in the campaign."[1] In order to appear on the ballot, a candidate must collect 3,000 signatures from Albuquerque registered voters and submit them to the city clerk's office.[3]
The maximum allowed campaign contribution that may be given to a candidate is $5,193 per person or company, which is 5% of the mayor's salary.[4]
Alongside the mayoral election, five seats of the city council were up for re-election. Incumbent councillors Ken Sanchez (District 1), Klarissa Peña (District 3), Diane G. Gibson (District 7) and Don Harris (District 9) were re-elected. In the 5th district, Cynthia Borrego, who ran as a Democrat, won the runoff against Robert Aragon, who ran as a Republican for state auditor in 2014. The 5th district seat was vacated by Dan Lewis, who ran for mayor.