Playas is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 41% of adults in Playas typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Playas, ~9% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~59% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Playas compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Playas leans more Republican than 2 of 4 neighbors.
Playas runs about 59 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Playas is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Playas. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+55) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+40), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Playas 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 Playas, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in Playas live in densely developed areas, about 17 points below the New Mexico average of 18%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in Playas are family households, above 79% of cities. Playas runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Playas, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Playas looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Playas 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
- Animas, NM R+55
- Hachita, NM R+40
- Cotton City, NM R+55
- Separ, NM R+48
- Rodeo, NM R+55
- Lordsburg, NM R+6
- Portal, AZ R+39
- Paradise, AZ R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- South Rangeley, ME R+10
- Dayson, LA R+56
- Tapoco, NC R+63
- Currie, NV R+56
- Dargin, AL R+41
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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.