Quay County leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Quay County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Quay County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Quay County compares
Quay County runs about 38 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Quay County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Quay County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 58 points.
Why Quay County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Quay County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Quay County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 50%, far above the New Mexico average of 18%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. Quay County runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Quay County, NM sits in the top quarter 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 Quay County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Quay County 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 Counties
- Harding County, NM R+37
- Curry County, NM R+34
- De Baca County, NM R+35
- Guadalupe County, NM Even
- Parmer County, TX R+50
- Oldham County, TX R+80
- Roosevelt County, NM R+37
- Deaf Smith County, TX R+30
- Bailey County, TX R+49
- Hartley County, TX R+76
Counties with Similar Populations
- Monona County, IA R+46
- Hancock County, GA D+32
- Blaine County, OK R+60
- Clearwater County, ID R+64
- Sublette County, WY R+58
- Wilcox County, GA R+33
- Greene County, IA R+39
- Benton County, IN R+49
- Modoc County, CA R+44
- Gallatin County, KY R+57
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.