87821 leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 67% of adults in 87821 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 87821, ~19% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 87821 compares
87821 runs about 49 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while 87821 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why 87821 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 87821, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
87821 votes against the grain of New Mexico. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while 87821 runs about 49 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and 87821 sits in the bottom quarter on density (fewer than 1%, in the bottom fraction of zip codes). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in 87821 are family households, above 93% of zip codes.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as 87821, NM does.
Why turnout in 87821 looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 95% of households in 87821 own their home, about 15 points above the New Mexico average of 80%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in 87821 have completed high school, in the top 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.