Ruidoso leans Republican by roughly 16 points: about 42% of voters vote Democratic and 58% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Ruidoso typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ruidoso, ~35% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ruidoso compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ruidoso leans more Republican than 3 of 14 neighbors.
Ruidoso runs about 22 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Ruidoso is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ruidoso. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+28) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Ruidoso 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 Ruidoso, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Ruidoso votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 26%, modestly above the New Mexico average of 18%). Here an older population outweighs the Democratic lean that density usually predicts. Ruidoso runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Ruidoso, NM sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ruidoso looks the way it does
Turnout in Ruidoso sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ruidoso Downs, NM R+24
- Alto, NM R+26
- Sierra Vista, NM R+22
- Ponderosa Heights, NM D+28
- Glencoe, NM R+42
- Fort Stanton, NM R+41
- Mescalero, NM D+42
- Capitan, NM R+53
- Nogal, NM R+55
- San Patricio, NM R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- Folsom, LA R+60
- Chesapeake Beach, MD R+5
- Bowie, TX R+68
- East Alton, IL R+20
- Upper Sandusky, OH R+47
- Sitka, AK D+14
- Litchfield, MN R+34
- Dalzell, SC D+2
- Mountain View, HI D+20
- Swissvale, PA D+64
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.