Pedophile Lover Or Dirty Tricks?

Does Tim Keller protect pedophiles and murderers? Has Dan Lewis dipped into a big bag of dirty and nasty tricks?

That's the allegations that are now flying from both candidates in Albuquerque's mayoral race.

Lewis has released an attack ad against Keller in which he says Keller coddles criminals.

Keller shot back by saying Lewis has a big bag of dirty tricks.

And, the mayoral candidates who didn't make the runoff in the Oct. 3 election are now starting to endorse the two contenders, Dan Lewis and Tim Keller.

On Tuesday, Democrat Brian Colón endorsed fellow Democrat Keller, and Michelle Garcia Holmes joined Lewis' campaign.

And, Lewis' campaign began airing a TV commercial that rips Keller for allegedly being weak on criminals and being a friend of pedophiles and murderers.

Here's what the release from Lewis' campaign said about the commercial:

“The ad highlights Tim Keller’s near decade-long record of protecting pedophiles and murderers and the judges that put them back on our streets.”

Here's what Lewis said in his release:

“There is a bright line of distinction between our records on crime. My plan puts the criminals and catch-and-release judges on notice. Tim’s strategy is hug-a-thug nonsense. As mayor, I will always put our law-abiding citizens before criminals in this city.”

That's harsh language that many would call way over-the-top. The ads Lewis' supporters ran before the general election attacking Keller as a sex offender lover were misleading and didn't appear to have much of an effect as Keller won with 39 percent of the vote to Lewis' 23 percent.

If you're going to portray someone as a sleaze, you should make sure they fit the profile. And Keller, who has made his name as state auditor by exposing corruption throughout the state, doesn't fit the profile. He's young and good looking, and it's pretty hard to believe that a guy who has exposed corruption is a pedophile lover.

Here's what Keller's campaign said about the ad:

“With recent polls showing Keller nearing the critical 50% mark as well as earning significantly more trust from voters on the key issues of tackling our crime crisis and handling the economy, Dan Lewis has reached into the dirty tricks playbook to falsify Keller’s record and distort the truth.

“Even worse is Dan Lewis’ hypocrisy when it comes to a real record of working to keep Albuquerque families safe. Over 8 years on the City Council, including a stint as Council President, Lewis has overseen the current crime crisis while thwarting efforts at reform.

“Just like RJ Berry, Dan Lewis has been part of the problem and refused to support APD officers or needed reforms.”

Will the endorsements make a difference? Who knows if the public pays attention to them or even cares.

But just by the numbers, they favor Keller.

Colón got 16 percent of the vote on Oct. 3, and Garcia Holmes got 4 percent.

The runoff election is Nov. 14. Early voting begins Oct. 25 and runs through Nov. 10.