88421 leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 44% of adults in 88421 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 88421, ~18% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 88421 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 88421 leans more Republican than 1 of 3 neighbors.
88421 runs about 25 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while 88421 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 88421. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+35) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+9), a spread of about 26 points.
Why 88421 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 88421, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 10% of adults in 88421 hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points below the New Mexico average of 24%. 88421 runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 88421, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 88421 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 88421 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 22%, about 6 points above the New Mexico average of 16%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in 88421 report food insecurity, above 92% of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 95% of adults in 88421 have completed high school, above 75% of zip codes. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
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.