Vanderwagen leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Vanderwagen typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Vanderwagen, ~41% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Vanderwagen compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Vanderwagen leans more Democratic than 12 of 22 neighbors.
Vanderwagen runs about 20 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Vanderwagen. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+31) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+17), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Vanderwagen 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 Vanderwagen, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 55% of adults in Vanderwagen have never been married, well above similar-sized cities (around 27%).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Vanderwagen, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Vanderwagen looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 95% of households in Vanderwagen own their home, about 15 points above the New Mexico average of 80%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Vanderwagen sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Mentmore, NM D+24
- Rock Springs, NM R+10
- Gallup, NM D+12
- Rehoboth, NM D+31
- Pinedale, NM D+7
- Zuni, NM D+74
- Lupton, AZ D+55
- Zuni Pueblo, NM D+50
- Lower Nutria, NM R+17
Cities with Similar Populations
- Danville, AR R+59
- Raceland, KY R+45
- Tecumseh, KS R+19
- Graterford, PA D+34
- Fort Loramie, OH R+70
- Sheridan, MI R+46
- Garfield, GA R+34
- Leo-Cedarville, IN R+47
- Crandall, GA R+75
- Pierson, FL R+51
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.