San Clemente leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 80% of adults in San Clemente typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in San Clemente, ~36% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How San Clemente compares
Among cities within 25 miles, San Clemente leans more Republican than 25 of 35 neighbors.
San Clemente runs about 31 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while San Clemente is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within San Clemente. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+2) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+21), a spread of about 23 points.
Why San Clemente 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 San Clemente, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
San Clemente votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 81%, well above the California average of 58%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. San Clemente runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; San Clemente, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in San Clemente looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. San Clemente is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Capistrano Beach, CA R+9
- San Juan Capistrano, CA R+4
- Dana Point, CA R+3
- Ladera Ranch, CA Even
- Laguna Niguel, CA Even
- Camp Pendleton, CA R+24
- Coto de Caza, CA R+16
- Laguna Beach, CA D+14
- Aliso Viejo, CA D+11
- Laguna Hills, CA D+2
Cities with Similar Populations
- Orland Park, IL R+9
- Manhattan, KS D+9
- Goldsboro, NC D+8
- Tamiami, FL R+43
- Rowlett, TX R+6
- Skokie, IL D+27
- Towson, MD D+43
- Cupertino, CA D+31
- Pottstown, PA D+7
- Dearborn Heights, MI R+6
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from California Secretary of State, 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.