Nichole Rogers wins District 6 seat in tight runoff race

Dec. 12—After a close race, former city employee and financial adviser Nichole Rogers pulled ahead of opponent Jeff Hoehn to win the District 6 City Council seat, according to unofficial election results.

Although Hoehn, executive director of nonprofit Cuidando Los Niños, had a strong showing with early and absentee voters, Rogers ultimately took the seat by a few percentage points. Rogers pulled in 52% of the vote, with all 10 vote centers reporting as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.

"The prospect of becoming the first African American woman on the Albuquerque City Council is both an honor and a profound responsibility," Rogers said in a news release. "It symbolizes breaking barriers and represents a step forward towards greater diversity and representation in our city's leadership."

Rogers will replace outgoing Councilor Pat Davis to represent the district, which includes the International District, Nob Hill and the University of New Mexico. Rogers could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.

"Tonight represents not just the culmination of a campaign, but the hopes and aspirations of District 6," Rogers said in the release. "We've worked tirelessly to bring our vision of a more inclusive, thriving community to the forefront."

After calling to congratulate Rogers, Hoehn thanked his volunteers and voters.

"We started a conversation in District 6," he said, about crime and homelessness — the district's biggest issues, according to Hoehn.

District 6 was one of four council seats on the ballot in this year's regular local election.

For three of the districts, the sitting councilor chose not to run for reelection; incumbent Brook Bassan kept her seat in District 4. Rogers joins new councilors Dan Champine, replacing Trudy Jones in District 8, as well as Joaquín Baca, replacing Isaac Benton in District 2.

Hoehn and Rogers originally faced two other candidates, Abel Otero and Kristin "Raven" Greene, in the regular local election. But the two front-runners pulled in a majority of the vote, with Rogers gaining 40% of the vote and Hoehn 32%. Greene endorsed Hoehn; Otero endorsed Rogers.

Hoehn said his political career isn't over.

"I will sleep well, and I will regroup," he said. "...I'm not afraid to move forward. This district matters too much."

Turnout lagged behind the regular local election, with just 15% of eligible voters casting their ballots in the runoff election, according to numbers from the Secretary of State's Office.