La Mesilla is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 56% of adults in La Mesilla typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in La Mesilla, ~44% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How La Mesilla compares
Among cities within 25 miles, La Mesilla leans more Democratic than 43 of 44 neighbors.
La Mesilla runs about 52 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within La Mesilla. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+37), a spread of about 27 points.
Why La Mesilla 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 La Mesilla, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 43% of adults in La Mesilla have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 25%).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; La Mesilla, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in La Mesilla looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. La Mesilla is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in La Mesilla report food insecurity, above 83% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Santa Clara Pueblo, NM D+44
- Pojoaque, NM D+35
- Espanola, NM D+18
- Santa Cruz, NM D+25
- Lumberton, NM D+14
- El Rancho, NM D+20
- La Puebla, NM D+24
- Ohkay Owingeh, NM D+33
- Los Alamos, NM D+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hillsboro, PA R+57
- Guildhall, VT R+37
- Griggstown, NJ D+25
- Coverdale, GA R+70
- Padua, OH R+78
- Jericho, AR R+14
- The Narrows, NY R+45
- West Lenox, PA R+45
- Sterlington, NY R+11
- Ogletown, PA R+60
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.