ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Democrat state Sen. Timothy Keller has been elected New Mexico state auditor.
Keller defeated Republican lawyer Robert Aragon on Tuesday in a race that centered on how the auditor’s office should monitor government waste.
The Harvard Business School-educated Keller, currently the Senate majority whip, said he would work to uncover an estimated $900 million of unspent public money and redirect it to state programs. The 36-year-old also vowed to “shine the light” on billions of dollars lost in various tax breaks.
Aragon, a former Democrat and state lawmaker, had said the state was locked in a “culture of corruption” and promised to examine various state settlements. He was especially critical of a recent settlement between former Albuquerque Superintendent Winston Brooks and the school district.
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