Bent leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Bent typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bent, ~32% vote Democratic, ~57% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bent compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bent leans more Republican than 8 of 13 neighbors.
Bent runs about 33 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Bent is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bent. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+29) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Bent 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 Bent, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bent votes against the grain of New Mexico. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Bent runs about 33 points more Republican.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; Bent, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Bent looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 95% of households in Bent own their home, about 15 points above the New Mexico average of 80%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Bent sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Mescalero, NM D+42
- Tularosa, NM R+28
- Mountain Park, NM R+31
- La Luz, NM R+35
- Ponderosa Heights, NM D+28
- High Rolls Mountain Park, NM R+44
- Cloudcroft, NM R+31
- Ruidoso, NM R+16
- Alamogordo, NM R+23
- Sierra Vista, NM R+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zumbro, MS Even
- Canfield, WV R+61
- Willmathsville, MO R+66
- Kanona, NY R+50
- Sleeth, IN R+59
- Seven Stars, PA R+69
- Somers, IA R+57
- Crawford, OH R+61
- North Plato, IL R+23
- Shandon, OH R+62
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.