Politics are becoming more and more important in our society, and many people want to know if their neighbors share their political views. Are residents of Albuquerque, New Mexico more likely to have liberal or conservative points of view?
Albuquerque, New Mexico is a moderately liberal city. The city has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 2000. Bernalillo County, the county that Albuquerque is in, is also moderately liberal, and the state of New Mexico is fairly liberal.
The political leanings of a city can have many indicators. The results of presidential elections, the local leaders, the policies that are supported, and the demographics of Albuquerque are all important factors to consider when deciding whether the city is liberal or conservative.
Presidential Elections
The candidate who wins each election is important to note, as well as the differences between the percentages of Democratic and Republican votes. When there is a higher difference, that means that the candidate won by a lot, so the people are firmly in support of one party or another. Areas with consistently large percentage differences are solidly conservative or liberal, while areas with lower ones may potentially be swayed given the right circumstances or candidate.
New Mexico is a fairly liberal
state. Since 2000, the Republican candidate has only won the majority of the vote in New Mexico once in 2004. Every other year, the election in New Mexico has gone to the Democratic candidate. In 2000 and 2004, the difference between the percentages of Democratic and Republican votes was less than 1%.
In 2016, it was less than 10%, but every other year it was greater than 10%. The highest difference between percentages was 15.1% in 2008 and the lowest was less than 0.1% in 2000. Though the differences were very small early this century, the gaps have grown larger over the years and will likely continue to grow larger.
In 2020, 54.3% of New Mexico residents voted for the Democratic candidate and 43.5% voted for the Republican candidate. The difference between the percentages was 10.8%, which was the second highest after 2008.
Bernalillo County, the county in which Albuquerque is, is moderately liberal. The Democratic candidate has won over the majority of Bernalillo County residents in every election since 2000. In 2000 and 2004, the difference between the percentages of Democratic and Republican votes was less than 5%. In 2012 and 2016, it was between 15% and 20%. Every other year it was over 20%. The highest difference was 24.44% in 2020 and the lowest was 2.06% in 2000.
In the 2020 presidential election, 61.01% of Bernalillo County residents voted for the Democratic candidate, and 36.57% voted for the Republican candidate. The difference between the percentages was 24.44%, the highest it has been during that time.
Albuquerque, just like its county and state, is moderately liberal. From 2000 to 2020, the majority of residents voted for the Democratic candidate in every election. In the first two elections, the difference between percentages was less than 10%, but every other year it was greater than 10%. The percentages of Democratic and Republican votes are comparable to those of Bernalillo County.
From 2018 to 2021, there were 91,710 contributions to the Democratic party in Albuquerque. These contributions added up to $8,178,756. In contrast, there were only 9,906 contributions to the Republican party in that same time frame, totaling $2,656,625.
The donations to the Republican party were 3 times larger on average than those to the Democratic party, but because there were so few donations to the Republican party, there was a massive difference in the amount of money that the Democratic party raised compared to what the Republican party raised.
Local Leaders
The local leaders in a city represent the political beliefs of the city’s residents. These leaders were elected by the people because the people liked the promises that they made and the things they have done. Looking at the party affiliations, the campaign platforms, and the implemented policies of local leaders can help give us an idea of the political beliefs of Albuquerque residents.
The Mayor of Albuquerque
The mayor of Albuquerque is one of the most important elected officials. The mayor represents the city in larger matters. The mayor also proposes budgets, signs legislation, appoints certain government employees, and oversees the operations of the city.
The current mayor of Albuquerque is Tim Keller. He was elected in 2017, then reelected in 2021. He will serve his current term until 2025. In 2017, he beat out his competitor in a runoff election with 62.20% of the vote. He was reelected with 56.1% of the vote. These consistently large percentages show that residents were in support of him when they elected him the first time and that they were generally happy with how he had been running the city when they elected him the second time.
Mayor Keller has some previous experience in politics. He was a member of the New Mexico State Senate from 2009 to 2014. He was also a New Mexico State Auditor from 2015 to 2017.
Mayor Keller has focused his time in office on reducing crime, labor unions, downtown revitalization, ending homelessness, and animal welfare. These initiatives suggest a generally liberal political perspective. Mayor Keller is a member of the Democratic Party. His position in the State Senate and as a State Auditor was as a Democrat, so he has not changed political parties since then.
City Council
The Albuquerque City Council is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving people that are appointed to help the mayor, imposing taxes, and creating or changing laws. There are nine city councilors, each elected by one of the city’s nine districts.
All of the city councilors are considered nonpartisan. However, based on the committees and policies that the city council has supported and passed through, the majority of them have a liberal rather than conservative perspective.
Policies
The policies that are in place or supported in an area are another indicator of the political climate. Some policies are more likely to be supported or opposed by liberals or conservatives. Fewer abortion laws, more gun control laws, and legal same-sex marriage are all most likely to be supported by liberals and opposed by conservatives.
Abortion
New Mexico has no major abortion restrictions and it is available during all stages of pregnancy. While some states require counseling, parental involvement for minors, or limited amounts of available funding, New Mexico doesn’t have any of these restrictions.
As of 2017, New Mexico has 7 facilities providing abortions, 6 of which were clinics. This is a 33% decrease from 2014. 91% of counties in New Mexico don’t have abortion clinics, leaving 48% of women without access to abortions.
Albuquerque residents tend to agree with the limited number of abortion laws in place that allow women easier access to abortions. This point of view is consistent with a liberal perspective.
Gun Control Laws
New Mexico had the 7th-highest gun death rate in 2020 and the 22nd-highest gun export rate. New Mexico gun laws include universal background checks and domestic violence gun laws. New Mexico gun laws do not include gun owner licensing, assault weapon restrictions, waiting for periods, concealed or open carry regulations, child access prevention laws, or lost/stolen firearm reporting.
Albuquerque residents tend to support an increase in gun control laws, making it harder to get access to guns. This point of view is consistent with a liberal perspective.
Same-Sex Marriage
Same-sex marriage became legal in New Mexico on December 19, 2013. This was a year and a half before the Supreme Court mandate requiring all states to legalize same-sex marriage was in place. New Mexico was the 16th state to legalize same-sex marriage, so they were not at the forefront of the movement, but they were definitely part of it. Albuquerque residents tended to support the legalization of same-sex marriage at the time.
Demographics
The population of Albuquerque is about 562,540 people, and the population density is 3,005 people per square mile. 51.2% of residents are female and 48.8% are male. The average age is 35.6, and the average number of people per household is 2.5.
The racial makeup is as follows:
- White: 40.0%
- Black: 2.8%
- Hispanic/Latino: 48.5%
- Asian: 2.6%
- Native American: 3.8%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0.1%
- Two or More Races: 1.9%
- Other: 0.3%
The average income in Albuquerque is $26,876 per year, and the median household income is $47,413 per year. The unemployment rate is 7.4%. The sales tax rate is 7.5%, and the income tax rate is 4.9%.
89.5% of residents are high school graduates, and 24.2% are only high school graduates. 18.9% have two-year degrees, 34.3% have four-year degrees, 2.4% have master’s degrees, and 2.4% have professional degrees.
48.3% of Albuquerque residents are religious. 46.2% are Christian, 0.4% are Jewish, 1.1% are of the eastern faith, and 0.3% are affiliated with Islam.
The rate of violent crime in Albuquerque on a scale of 1 to 100 is 51.0. The rate of property crime on that same scale is 85.3.
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