Former Mayor Martin Chavez did not run for re-election in 1997, and instead was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Mexico. He lost to Gary Johnson, and announced his plans to run against incumbent mayor Jim Baca in 2001. Former District Attorney and District Court judge Bob Schwartz lost the election to Chavez by a mere 2,783 votes. Chavez received 30,384 votes (37.9%) to Schwartz's 27,601 (34.4%), Mike McEntee's 11,176 (13.9%), and Baca's 10,998 (13.7%).
