Whitewater leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 48% of adults in Whitewater typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Whitewater, ~17% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Whitewater compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Whitewater leans more Republican than 14 of 16 neighbors.
Whitewater runs about 35 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Whitewater is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Whitewater. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+7) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+40), a spread of about 47 points.
Why Whitewater 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 Whitewater, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Whitewater votes against the grain of New Mexico. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Whitewater runs about 35 points more Republican.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Whitewater, NM 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 Whitewater looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Whitewater is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 26% of adults in Whitewater report food insecurity, above 92% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 80% of adults in Whitewater have completed high school, below 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hurley, NM R+13
- Faywood, NM R+9
- White Signal, NM R+36
- Bayard, NM D+17
- Tyrone, NM R+25
- Santa Clara, NM D+15
- Arenas Valley, NM Even
- Vanadium, NM D+11
- Fort Bayard, NM D+6
- Silver City, NM D+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lanesville, IL R+50
- Deckerville, AR R+59
- Nevadun, SC R+8
- Reeds Station, IL R+13
- Woods Landing, WY R+33
- Texas City, IL R+60
- Carter, MS R+15
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.