Columbus leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 49% of adults in Columbus typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbus, ~18% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbus compares
Columbus runs about 32 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Columbus is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Columbus 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 Columbus, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 1% of residents in Columbus live in densely developed areas, about 16 points below the New Mexico average of 18%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Columbus sits in the bottom quarter (about 6%, below 98% of cities). Columbus 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; Columbus, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Columbus looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Columbus 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 23%, about 7 points above the New Mexico average of 16%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Columbus report food insecurity, above 94% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 55% of adults in Columbus have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sunshine, NM R+27
- Ventura, NM R+27
- Deming, NM R+17
- Keeler Farm, NM R+28
- Gage, NM R+29
- Hachita, NM R+40
- Fairacres, NM R+20
- Faywood, NM R+9
- Whitewater, NM R+29
- Playas, NM R+53
Cities with Similar Populations
- Karns City, PA R+60
- Pembine, WI R+41
- New Rockford, ND R+45
- Byng, OK R+58
- New Berlin, PA R+48
- Minatare, NE R+65
- Troy, KS R+59
- Allen, MI R+49
- Barry, IL R+55
- Union, IL R+22
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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.