Breaking Bad alum wins expensive and hard-fought race in Albuquerque

by Jeff Singer for Daily Kos Elections

Daily Kos Staff Emeritus

Thursday, Jun. 09, 2016 Thursday, Jun. 09, 2016 at 2:34:54pm PDT

TOLUCA LAKE, CA - MAY 04: Actor Steven Michael Quezada attended the 8th Annual George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic presented by Sabra Salsa to benefit The George Lopez Foundation on Monday, May 4th at the Lakeside Golf Club on May 4, 2015 in Toluca Lake, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for The George Lopez Foundation) — Steven Michael Quezada

On Tuesday, Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education member Steven Michael Quezada, who is best known for playing DEA agent Steve Gomez on all five seasons of Breaking Bad, narrowly won the Democratic primary for the five-member Bernalillo County Commission. Bernalillo is New Mexico’s largest county.

As the New Mexico Political Report’s Joey Peters explains, the race turned expensive after a PAC financed by local lawyers and developers attacked another candidate, Adrián Pedroza, over his opposition to Santolina, a controversial planned living community. Quezada noted that he voted against Santolina on the school board, though he didn’t rule out supporting the subsidies that Santolina’s developers want. Quezada also got support from his former co-stars Bryan Cranston (it’s unclear how many times he needed to say his name to get that endorsement) and Dean Norris. Quezada outpaced Pedroza 35-32, with a third candidate taking 31. This seat is heavily Democratic.

P.S. Breaking Bad fans, you have to read this.