Councilor Dolores Archuleta, left, and challenger Olga Pedroza at the recent candidate forum. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Olga Pedroza has defeated Councilor Dolores C. Archuleta in the District 3 Las Cruces City Council race.
With results from one polling place yet to be posted, Pedroza has 328 votes, or 65 percent, to Archuleta’s 176 votes, or 35 percent. The results don’t include votes cast at Conlee Elementary School, but that polling place won’t change the outcome of the race.
Those numbers come from unofficial results obtained by NMPolitics.net.
Though it’s safe to call the race, Pedroza said she’s not yet declaring victory.
“We’re still waiting on that one last polling place. … I’m a cautious person,” Pedroza said. “We’re expecting it to be announced pretty soon, but I think it’s not going to be big surprise.”
There was no immediate word on why results haven’t yet been posted at Conlee.
Pedroza, a candidate who was backed by the city’s progressive movement, said the inner-city District 3 is different than some of the East Mesa areas at the heart of the progressive movement, but said some of the issues still ring true.
“People in the district seem to be a little less politically involved but I think that, nevertheless, given the opportunity to vote for somebody who will make a difference, they will vote for them – and I think that’s what happened here,” she said.
Archuleta’s campaign spokesman, Billy Samora, said Archuleta, the mayor pro tem, isn’t yet conceding the race.
“We’re still sitting here watching the monitors as they’re still counting,” he said by phone from city hall.