Albuquerque leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 67% of adults in the Albuquerque area typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Albuquerque area, ~38% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Albuquerque compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Albuquerque leans more Democratic than 24 of 33 neighbors.
Albuquerque runs about 8 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Albuquerque. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (Even), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Albuquerque leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Albuquerque, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 78% of residents in the Albuquerque area live in densely developed areas, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Albuquerque sits in the top quarter (about 35%, above 82% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in the Albuquerque area have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Albuquerque, NM sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Albuquerque looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Albuquerque is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM D+26
- North Valley, NM D+14
- Kirtland Afb, NM Even
- South Valley, NM D+18
- Paradise Hills, NM D+6
- Corrales, NM D+13
- Rio Rancho, NM R+4
- Los Padillas, NM R+3
- Bernalillo, NM D+10
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bakersfield, CA R+12
- Greenville, SC R+26
- Knoxville, TN R+32
- Albany, NY D+14
- McAllen, TX R+2
- Baton Rouge, LA R+6
- El Paso, TX D+14
- Omaha, NE D+2
- Worcester, MA D+12
- Allentown, PA Even
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.