Santa Cruz leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Santa Cruz typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Cruz, ~37% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Cruz compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santa Cruz leans more Democratic than 30 of 51 neighbors.
Santa Cruz runs about 19 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santa Cruz. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+43) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+21), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 48% of residents in Santa Cruz live in densely developed areas, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 31% of adults in Santa Cruz have never been married, above 77% of cities.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Santa Cruz, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Santa Cruz looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Santa Cruz is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 21%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 10%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 29% of households in Santa Cruz rent, above 83% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 23% of adults in Santa Cruz report food insecurity, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Espanola, NM D+18
- El Rancho, NM D+20
- La Puebla, NM D+24
- Santa Clara Pueblo, NM D+44
- Ohkay Owingeh, NM D+33
- San Juan Pueblo, NM D+28
- Pueblito, NM D+23
- Chimayo, NM D+28
- Chamita, NM D+23
- Guique, NM D+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zavalla, TX R+82
- Salisbury Mills, NY R+13
- Highland Mills, NY R+12
- Center City, MN R+28
- Ameagle, WV R+52
- Ida Grove, IA R+51
- Wapwallopen, PA R+45
- Carmel, ME R+35
- Belle Rose, LA D+39
- Maplesville, AL R+59
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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.