Continental Divide leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 49% of adults in Continental Divide typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Continental Divide, ~29% vote Democratic, ~20% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Continental Divide compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Continental Divide leans more Democratic than 7 of 19 neighbors.
Continental Divide runs about 13 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Continental Divide. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+25) and the south side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 31 points.
Why Continental Divide 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 Continental Divide, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 57% of adults in Continental Divide have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 27%).
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Continental Divide, NM sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Continental Divide looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Continental Divide is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 43%, about 15 points below the New Mexico average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 42% of adults in Continental Divide report food insecurity, in the top fraction of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 82% of adults in Continental Divide have completed high school, below 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Thoreau, NM D+20
- Smith Lake, NM D+24
- Coolidge, NM D+33
- McGaffey, NM R+28
- Prewitt, NM D+24
- Fort Wingate, NM D+32
- Perea, NM D+29
- Jamestown, NM D+8
- Crownpoint, NM D+39
- Church Rock, NM D+35
Cities with Similar Populations
- Brightwood, OR R+7
- East Lynne, MO R+60
- Shadeville, FL R+44
- Wetmore, TX R+51
- Fairfield, MI R+29
- Summit, AR R+61
- New Auburn, MN R+57
- Dante, VA R+69
- Mount Sherman, KY R+67
- Woodstock, OH R+65
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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.