87018 leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 53% of adults in 87018 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 87018, ~31% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 87018 compares
87018 runs about 12 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Why 87018 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 87018, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 51% of adults in 87018 have never been married, well above similar-sized zip codes (around 23%).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 87018, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 87018 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 87018 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 30%, about 28 points below the New Mexico average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 54% of adults in 87018 report food insecurity, in the top fraction of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 53% of adults in 87018 have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Mexico Secretary of State, Bureau of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.