Santa Monica is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Santa Monica typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Monica, ~53% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Monica compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santa Monica leans more Democratic than 103 of 110 neighbors.
Santa Monica runs about 36 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santa Monica. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+45), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Santa Monica 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 Monica, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 96% of residents in Santa Monica live in densely developed areas, about 60 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Santa Monica sits in the top quarter (about 71%, in the top fraction of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Santa Monica have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Santa Monica, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Santa Monica looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Santa Monica 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
- Venice, CA D+57
- Pacific Palisades, CA D+34
- Marina Del Rey, CA D+43
- Culver City, CA D+51
- Playa Del Rey, CA D+44
- Beverly Hills, CA D+18
- Ladera Heights, CA D+78
- El Segundo, CA D+37
- West Hollywood, CA D+56
- View Park-Windsor Hills, CA D+84
Cities with Similar Populations
- Greenwood, IN R+29
- Holland, MI Even
- Williamsburg, VA D+16
- Loveland, CO Even
- South Gate, CA D+36
- Jackson, MI Even
- Tracy, CA D+4
- Gulfport, MS Even
- St. Augustine, FL R+21
- Missoula, MT D+25
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.