ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – If you take a drive down Central Avenue, you’ll see “I ❤ Tim Keller” sweatshirts have appeared among Albuquerque’s homeless community.
As of Monday evening, it remains unclear on who handed out the sweatshirts and what their intention was.
The sweatshirts were distributed in the International District around Thanksgiving, just before early voting began in the mayoral runoff election between incumbent Tim Keller and Darren White. Some believe the sweatshirts are a political stunt.
A man in the International District said they were given away on Central Avenue and he wears one to stay warm. “If it wasn’t so cold, I would take them from everybody, put them in a pile and burn them,” he said.
Mayor Tim Keller denounced the stunt on social media, calling it “disgraceful.” The New Mexico GOP accused Keller of being responsible, but his campaign stated, “Darren White’s supporters and the Republican Party are attempting to flip the script and falsely blame Mayor Keller for their own cruel Thanksgiving-week stunt.”
White’s campaign manager responded, “It’s telling that citizens are so frustrated that someone took it upon themselves to protest the mayor in this manner.”
Keller’s campaign suggested the situation could violate campaign finance laws but did not indicate if they would investigate further.
New Mexico GOP statement
Hundreds of homeless people in Albuquerque were seen wearing yellow “I Love Tim Keller” sweatshirts over the weekend. In an apparent move by his campaign, sweatshirts were distributed to the homeless, resulting in hundreds of political props walking around Albuquerque.
“Using the homeless as political pawns is a new low for Tim Keller and shows just how tone-deaf he is,” said Chairwoman Barela. “This stunt is not only a slap in the face to all of the homeless people in Albuquerque, but to every voter who wants to live in a city where homelessness, crime, and drugs are not out of control.” Not only is this a disgraceful decision by Tim Keller’s campaign, it also raises legal and ethics concerns.
Albuquerque’s homeless population has been a major issue in this mayoral race. Under Tim Keller’s watch, there are nearly 3,000 homeless individuals in Albuquerque, which is an 8% increase from last year. Notably, Albuquerque’s homeless population includes an increasing number of women, children, and veterans who are living on the street. Since Tim Keller has been in office, the homeless population in Albuquerque has more than doubled, and our homelessness rate is more than double the national average.
This mayoral campaign has thoroughly documented Keller’s failures when it comes to homelessness, crime, and drugs. His record is verifiably terrible, and he does not deserve, nor can Albuquerque afford, four more years of Tim Keller. Darren White is the candidate Albuquerque needs to restore our beautiful city and bring meaningful change to our communities. As early voting begins today, the choice for Albuquerque mayor could not be more clear.
Keller Campaign statement
Yesterday, our campaign issued the following statement in response to reports that individuals aligned with Darren White were distributing yellow sweatshirts to people experiencing homelessness for political effect:
“To supporters of Darren White who think they are making a clever statement about Mayor Keller: Yes, those sweatshirts provide warmth. But using people experiencing homelessness as political props is disgraceful. No one’s hardship should be exploited for campaign stunts. Darren White should join us in condemning this immediately.”
Today, Darren White’s supporters and the Republican Party are attempting to flip the script and falsely blame Mayor Keller for their own cruel Thanksgiving-week stunt. This accusation is completely false — and it is exactly backwards.
The first people to report these sweatshirts were our own supporters, who were rightly outraged that individuals backing Darren White were using vulnerable residents as political props. And as of this afternoon, Darren White has still not condemned the stunt on any social media platform. The Republican Party’s sudden effort to redirect blame shows what’s really happening: the stunt is backfiring, and people see it for what it is — cruel and inappropriate.
In addition, the distribution of these sweatshirts appears to be an unreported dark-money political expenditure. There was no disclaimer, no disclosure of who paid for the shirts, and no attribution — a likely campaign-finance violation and a desperate attempt to boost Darren White’s struggling campaign in the final days.
Instead of condemning the exploitation, the Republican Party is attacking Mayor Keller with a baseless accusation. It’s dishonest and irresponsible.
Mayor Keller has spent years building real, long-term systems to help people experiencing homelessness — expanding housing, increasing treatment beds, standing up dedicated outreach teams, and creating the first-in-the-nation Albuquerque Community Safety Department. By contrast, Darren White has offered only one approach: arresting people who are unhoused.
We once again call on Darren White to condemn this stunt and anyone using vulnerable people for political gain. Albuquerque deserves better than fabricated distractions in the final days of this election.
White campaign statement
“It’s telling that citizens are so frustrated that someone took it upon themselves to protest the mayor in this manner. The only person who deserves condemnation is Mayor Keller whose policies have led to homelessness doubling in recent years. If Mayor Keller spent more time changing his failed policies and less time whining about critics, the homeless and the entire city would be better off.” – Erin Thompson, Campaign Manager
