BUT THEY WERE THE TWO. BUT THEY WERE THE TWO WITH THE HIGHEST VOTES. RIO RANCHO CITY COUNCILOR PAUL WEIMER AND FORMER TEACHER ALEXANDRIA CONLIN WILL BE FACING OFF IN TUESDAY’S RIO RANCHO MAYORAL RUNOFF. RIO RANCHO IS THE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN NEW MEXICO. WE USED TO THINK OF IT AS JUST BEING A BEDROOM COMMUNITY TO ALBUQUERQUE, BUT IT’S LARGER THAN SANTA FE. AND SO THE MAYOR’S POSITION IN RIO RANCHO IS AN IMPORTANT ONE. THE TOP TWO CANDIDATES FOR THIS YEAR’S RUNOFF ELECTION, WITH WEIMER LEADING LAST MONTH’S RACE A. FOR NOW, FORMER CANDIDATES AT 45% AND PILOT COMING IN SECOND WITH 27%. WHY ARE WE HAVING THIS RUNOFF ELECTION? WE’RE HAVING IT BECAUSE NO CANDIDATE RECEIVED 50% OF THE VOTE LAST MONTH IN THE ORIGINAL ELECTION. KOAT POLITICAL EXPERT BRIAN SANDEROFF WEIGHS IN. IT’S INTERESTING THAT IN THE FIRST ROUND, ONLY ABOUT 16% OF THE VOTERS TURNED OUT. SO WE HAD A REALLY LOW TURNOUT IN THE MAYOR’S RACE. HOPEFULLY THE TURNOUT WILL RISE A LITTLE, BUT USUALLY TURNOUT GOES DOWN IN RUNOFF ELECTIONS, SO WE’LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE. IT’S A FAST GROWING CITY. THE ROADS, THE AGING WATER PIPES. THEY ARE BREAD AND BUTTER ISSUES THAT THE VOTERS CARE ABOUT AND THAT THESE TWO CANDIDATES CARE ABOUT. WAIMEA AND PINELAND ENCOURAGING VOTERS TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS. IT’S A ROLLER COASTER OF EMOTIONS. IT’S WHERE WE’RE SO CLOSE. WE’VE ALL WORKED SO HARD TO GET TO THIS POINT. ALL WE NEED TO DO IS GET TO THE FINISH LINE. I’M REALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESPONSE THAT I’VE BEEN RECEIVING FROM THE CITIZENS IN THE CITY. SO I’M FEELING A LITTLE BIT ANXIOUS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO SEE THE RESULTS SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD FROM THERE AND START PLANNING. BOTH SHARING THEIR TOP CONCERNS FOR THE CITY OF RIO RANCHO AND WHAT IS NEXT. IF THEY WIN THE SEAT. ROADS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP WHEN IT COMES TO ITEMS THAT NEED TO BE. WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN IS TO HAVE A DIALOG WI
Rio Rancho mayoral runoff underway as candidates prepare for race
“We used to think of Rio Rancho as a bedroom community to Albuquerque, but it’s larger than Santa Fe. So, the mayor’s position is an important one,” KOAT political expert Brian Sanderoff said
Rio Rancho City Councilor Paul Wymer and former union teacher Alexandria Piland are heading into the city’s mayoral runoff after neither one secured 50% of the vote during Election Day on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Piland and Wymer were the top two candidates out of six who received the highest number of votes. Rio Rancho’s mayoral runoff is on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The race is non-partisan. Three-term Rio Rancho mayor, Greg Hull, announced he would not seek a fourth term. Hull has entered the 2026 New Mexico Governor’s race. MORE: New Mexico Election Results for mayor and city council in several citiesWymer led the initial race with 45% of the vote, while Piland came in second with 27%. Both candidates focused on key issues for the City of Rio Rancho, including infrastructure and community concerns. On Monday, January 13, 2026, KOAT spoke with both candidates as they prepare for the race. KOAT political expert Brian Sanderoff also weighed in on what one could expect ahead of Tuesday’s runoff.”Rio Rancho is the third largest city in New Mexico. We used to think of it as just being a bedroom community to Albuquerque, but it’s larger than Santa Fe, and so the mayor’s position in Rio Rancho is an important one,” Sanderoff said. “Why are we having this runoff election? We’re having it because no candidate received 50% of the vote last month in the original election.”Related: Rio Rancho mayoral race heads to runoff after close election”It’s interesting that in the first round, only about 16% of the voters turned out. So, we had a really low turnout in the mayor’s race. Hopefully the turnout will rise a little, but usually turnout goes down in runoff elections, so we’ll have to wait and see, Sanderoff said. “Rio Rancho is a fast-growing city. The roads, the aging water pipes, they’re bread-and-butter issues that the voters care about and that these two candidates care about.”What is a Runoff Election?”A Runoff Election is a second primary election held between two top candidates to determine a winner when no candidate in the Primary Election met the required threshold for victory.”Wymer shared his thoughts on the campaign’s final stretch. “It’s just a roller coaster of emotions, Faith. We’re so close. We’ve all worked so hard to get to this point. All we need to do is get to the finish line,” he told KOAT.Piland expressed her feelings as the runoff nears. “I’m really happy with the response that I’ve been receiving from the citizens in the city. So, I’m feeling a little bit anxious, because we want to see the results so we can move forward from there and start planning,” Piland told KOAT.Watch Piland and Wymer’s full interviews below:Stay updated on the latest from Rio Rancho’s Mayoral Runoff with updates on the KOAT app. Download here
Rio Rancho City Councilor Paul Wymer and former union teacher Alexandria Piland are heading into the city’s mayoral runoff after neither one secured 50% of the vote during Election Day on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Piland and Wymer were the top two candidates out of six who received the highest number of votes.
Rio Rancho’s mayoral runoff is on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The race is non-partisan. Three-term Rio Rancho mayor, Greg Hull, announced he would not seek a fourth term. Hull has entered the 2026 New Mexico Governor’s race.
MORE: New Mexico Election Results for mayor and city council in several cities
Wymer led the initial race with 45% of the vote, while Piland came in second with 27%. Both candidates focused on key issues for the City of Rio Rancho, including infrastructure and community concerns. On Monday, January 13, 2026, KOAT spoke with both candidates as they prepare for the race. KOAT political expert Brian Sanderoff also weighed in on what one could expect ahead of Tuesday’s runoff.
“Rio Rancho is the third largest city in New Mexico. We used to think of it as just being a bedroom community to Albuquerque, but it’s larger than Santa Fe, and so the mayor’s position in Rio Rancho is an important one,” Sanderoff said. “Why are we having this runoff election? We’re having it because no candidate received 50% of the vote last month in the original election.”
Related: Rio Rancho mayoral race heads to runoff after close election
“It’s interesting that in the first round, only about 16% of the voters turned out. So, we had a really low turnout in the mayor’s race. Hopefully the turnout will rise a little, but usually turnout goes down in runoff elections, so we’ll have to wait and see, Sanderoff said. “Rio Rancho is a fast-growing city. The roads, the aging water pipes, they’re bread-and-butter issues that the voters care about and that these two candidates care about.”
What is a Runoff Election?
“A Runoff Election is a second primary election held between two top candidates to determine a winner when no candidate in the Primary Election met the required threshold for victory.”
Wymer shared his thoughts on the campaign’s final stretch. “It’s just a roller coaster of emotions, Faith. We’re so close. We’ve all worked so hard to get to this point. All we need to do is get to the finish line,” he told KOAT.
Piland expressed her feelings as the runoff nears. “I’m really happy with the response that I’ve been receiving from the citizens in the city. So, I’m feeling a little bit anxious, because we want to see the results so we can move forward from there and start planning,” Piland told KOAT.
Watch Piland and Wymer’s full interviews below:
Stay updated on the latest from Rio Rancho’s Mayoral Runoff with updates on the KOAT app. Download
