City Councilor Paul Wymer, a Republican, scored a major victory to become the next mayor of Rio Rancho, marking the first time in over a decade that there’s been a change in leadership in the city. Wymer beat his opponent, retired schoolteacher Alexandria Pilan, a ward chief for the Democratic Party of Sandoval, by 23 points.
What makes this so huge is that President Donald Trump only won the city by three points during the 2024 election, meaning there’s a notable shift more toward the right since he took office in January 2025. “I’m very humbled that the voters of Rio Rancho got out in what appears to be such strong support for me,” Wymer said on the evening of the election. “I’m very excited to be able to step into the mayor’s seat and take the reins of the city, and I’ve got the experience to do so.”
Wymer is a registered member of the GOP who received the endorsement of outgoing longtime mayor Gregg Hull, also a Republican, who launched a campaign for governor of New Mexico. Later in the evening on Election Day, Wymer received 63% of the vote, while Piland only pulled in 37%, according to unofficial results reported by the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office.
According to a report from The Santa Fe New Mexican, the state revealed that 16,492 votes had already been counted at the time, which is roughly 20% of the eligible voters. It also exceeded the 17% turnout for the regular municipal election held in March, when 13,757 votes were cast in the mayoral election. Wymer received a total of 45% in that six-way race, with Piland only receiving 27%, which led to a runoff race.
During an interview with the publication, Wymer revealed that voter turnout was one of his big worries going into the runoff. “I know that early voting was very strong, and that was pretty darn impressive,” Wymer stated. During the first five days of early voting in the race, 5.8% of registered voters cast their ballots. State Republican Chair Amy Barela put out a statement congratulating Wymer.
“Republicans across New Mexico are fired up, and this is a great step toward our goal of flipping New Mexico red in November,” she wrote in the statement. Wymer has been an active participant in local politics in Rio Rancho, serving on City Council District 4, which covers a large, southern residential portion of the city.
Rio Rancho, often considered to be the fastest-growing city in New Mexico, currently has a population of 112,524 that increased by 8.1% between 2020 and 2024, according to census information. One of the big private sector employers in the area, Intel, calls the city home. Taking over as mayor, Wymer will have the chance to choose the successor to his city council seat, which then must be approved by the City Council.
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The individual Wymer appoints will then need to stand for election at the next regular municipal election. Wymer’s term started on May 1, 2026. When asked what his top priority is going into the office, he said it’s to revisit the city’s budget process and learn the ins-and-outs of being the mayor. “I suspect it will be like drinking from a fire hose,” Wymer said.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video