07-03-2025
Darren White, former Bernalillo County sheriff, announces run for Albuquerque mayor
Mar. 6—The former secretary of the state Department of Public Safety who went on to become Bernalillo County sheriff announced Thursday that he is running for Albuquerque mayor.
Darren White, who occasionally hosts a radio show on KKOB and has become an outspoken critic of Mayor Tim Keller and the Albuquerque Police Department, made the announcement by uploading a campaign video to the social media website X.
White will be taking on incumbent Keller, who is vying to become the first mayor elected to three consecutive terms; Mayling Armijo, former deputy county manager for Sandoval County; Eddie Varela, a retired firefighter; and Eddie Aragon, a conservative radio show host.
"Mayor Keller has presided over the most murders in Albuquerque's history. His weak approach to crime and homelessness has failed and it's time for change," White said in a news release.
White did not return a call seeking comment Thursday.
After serving as sheriff from 2002 to 2008, White earned the Republican nomination and challenged then-Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich for a U.S. House seat.
White lost, earning 44% of the vote to Heinrich's 56%, and has not run for office since.
Following his run for the House, White took a position as Albuquerque Public Safety director under Mayor Richard Berry in 2009.
White retired from his post in 2011 after picking up his wife from a car crash where she showed signs of impairment but was never given a blood test. A subsequent probe by the city's Office of Inspector General found White did not interfere with how police officers and medical personnel handled the crash, according to Journal archives.
During his time in law enforcement, White vehemently opposed the use and legalization of marijuana, and resigned from his post leading the state's public safety department after then-Gov. Gary Johnson pushed to legalize marijuana.
But following his career in law enforcement, White started his own cannabis dispensary called PurLife.
While he has run as a Republican, in 2018 White donated $5,500 to Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham's successful bid for governor.
White has not officially filed to run for mayor yet. The deadline to file for publicly financed candidates is July 21 and for privately financed candidates is Aug. 26.
The Regular Local Election, which also includes the seats in City Council Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, is slated for Nov. 4.
