Tecate leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 45% of adults in Tecate typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Tecate, ~19% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~55% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Tecate compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Tecate leans more Republican than 8 of 28 neighbors.
Tecate runs about 34 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Tecate is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Tecate 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 Tecate, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 1% of residents in Tecate live in densely developed areas, about 56 points below the California average of 58%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in Tecate are family households, above 91% of cities. Tecate runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Tecate, CA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Tecate looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Tecate is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 59% of households in Tecate rent, compared to around 26% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Tecate report food insecurity, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Potrero, CA R+15
- Canyon City, CA R+17
- Dulzura, CA R+29
- Cameron Corners, CA R+31
- Campo, CA R+31
- Boulder Oaks, CA R+29
- Barrett, CA R+27
- Jamul, CA R+34
- Alpine Heights, CA R+44
- Pine Valley, CA R+35
Cities with Similar Populations
- Zortman, MT R+59
- Lawler, MN R+16
- New Waverly, IN R+54
- Latham, TN R+71
- Sea Island, GA R+37
- Newgulf, TX R+54
- Smith, KY R+81
- Embudo, NM D+20
- Grimes, OK R+83
- Silver Sands Beach, ID R+65
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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.