The two candidates who raised the most money in the Rio Rancho mayoral race are also the two headed to the April 14 runoff, according to campaign finance reports filed before the March 3 election and released publicly March 6.
City Councilor Paul Wymer and former Sandoval County Democratic Party chair Alexandria Piland together raised more than $118,000 — accounting for the vast majority of all campaign money in the six-candidate field. Each finished well ahead of the remaining four candidates at the polls.
Wymer led the way with 6,240 votes (45 percent) and reported $62,161.21 in total contributions to date, spending $27,227.56. That works out to roughly $9.96 raised per vote.
Piland finished second with 3,670 votes (27 percent) and reported $56,368.01 in total contributions to date, spending $23,917.15 — or about $15.36 raised per vote.
No candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, triggering the runoff under Rio Rancho’s election rules.
In the third reporting period, Piland received three $5,000 contributions from organized labor: the New Mexico Building and Construction Trades Council, the Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local Union and the IBEW PAC. Her largest expenditure was $6,673.95 to Print Masters for postcard printing and mailing.
Wymer’s third-period contributors included a $5,000 contribution from construction company S&S Enterprises along with a $2,500 check from Corazon Del Mesa 4, LLC, a development company involved with Mesa del Sol and a $2,000 check from MJB Properties, an Albuquerque real estate company. He spent heavily on digital advertising with Clear Channel ($4,035.12), campaign mailers with Smartpress.com and social media work with Howel and Embers.
The rest of the field
The other four candidates combined raised less than $26,000 total — and finished with a combined 28 percent of the vote.
Sandoval County Commissioner Michael Meek finished third with 1,552 votes, raising $19,525.59. Zach Darden placed fourth with 1,191 votes despite raising just $650 — less than 55 cents per vote. Corrine Rios received 915 votes and raised $5,017.29. Aleitriss Owens-Smith, who raised $,1050, finished last with 189 votes.
All six candidates filed by the March 2 deadline — one day before the election — as required by city ordinance. The reports were not made publicly available until March 6, three days after voters went to the polls.