Valdez is a Democratic stronghold. About 77% of voters here vote Democratic and 23% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Valdez typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Valdez, ~60% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Valdez compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Valdez leans more Democratic than 22 of 25 neighbors.
Valdez runs about 48 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Why Valdez 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 Valdez, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 57% of adults in Valdez hold a bachelor's degree, about 29 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 45% of adults in Valdez have never been married, above 96% of cities.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Valdez, NM does.
Why turnout in Valdez looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Valdez 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Valdez have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Arroyo Seco, NM D+58
- San Cristobal, NM D+25
- Taos Pueblo, NM D+70
- Arroyo Hondo, NM D+39
- El Prado, NM D+55
- Taos Ski Valley, NM D+37
- Taos, NM D+50
- Ranchito, NM D+46
- Questa, NM D+24
- Trampas, NM D+52
Cities with Similar Populations
- Abbottsburg, NC R+42
- Baker, CA R+27
- Linville, NC R+29
- Filer City, MI R+16
- Goose Hollow, NC Even
- Badoura, MN R+33
- Bagley, IA R+44
- Paris, IA R+64
- Rose, NY R+41
- Hanley Falls, MN R+59
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.