In the recent runoff election for Albuquerque City Council District 6, Nichole Rogers narrowly defeated Jeff Hoehn to secure the city council seat. The margin of victory was approximately 200 votes in a district that encompasses both the International District and Nob Hill.
According to the New Mexico Secretary of State's office, Rogers secured 52% of the vote, tallying 2,416 votes, while Hoehn received 48% with a total of 2,209 votes. It was noted that only 15% of eligible voters participated in this election.
KRQE reported that the initial District 6 election led to a runoff as no candidate managed to win over half of the vote. Rogers initially garnered 40% and Hoehn netted 32%. The first round saw even fewer voters with only about 3,200 casting their ballots. Both Rogers and Hoehn contested as Democrats.
As highlighted in an earlier article by the New Mexico Sun, questions were raised about Rogers' ethics during the campaign when it was revealed that a nonprofit she founded failed to submit necessary documents to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state agencies. Her solo organization, named Welstand Foundation, was established in 2019 but lost its tax-exempt status in 2022 due to non-compliance. During its operation, Rogers did not file federal forms detailing income and expenses.
Albuquerque attorney and local political commentator Pete Dinelli noted that Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller played an active role in all city council elections, particularly supporting Rogers in this race. Prior to her candidacy, Rogers had worked under Keller as a policy advocate and community organizer.
With the conclusion of this electoral contest, the composition of Albuquerque City Council remains largely unchanged from its previous configuration: five Democrats and four Republicans. Democrats occupy seats in Districts 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7; Republicans hold sway over seats in Districts 4, 5, 8 and 9.