Santa Fe County leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Santa Fe County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Fe County, ~53% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Fe County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Santa Fe County is the most Democratic-leaning.
Santa Fe County runs about 39 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Santa Fe County. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+69) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 63 points.
Why Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 44% of adults in Santa Fe County hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Santa Fe County sits in the top fifth on density (about 56%, above 83% of counties).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Santa Fe County, NM sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Santa Fe County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Santa Fe County 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 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Los Alamos County, NM D+27
- San Miguel County, NM D+24
- Rio Arriba County, NM D+20
- Sandoval County, NM D+4
- Bernalillo County, NM D+21
- Mora County, NM D+18
- Torrance County, NM R+36
- Taos County, NM D+42
- Valencia County, NM R+13
- Guadalupe County, NM Even
Counties with Similar Populations
- Monroe County, MI R+27
- Washington County, MD R+18
- Canadian County, OK R+37
- Berrien County, MI Even
- Cumberland County, NJ D+7
- Mesa County, CO R+20
- Citrus County, FL R+43
- Merrimack County, NH D+6
- Franklin County, PA R+41
- Columbia County, GA R+21
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.