Is Gilbert, Arizona a Conservative City?

Aerial view of Irrigation Canal at Main and Gilbert Rd. in Mesa, AZ

Gilbert Arizona is among the top-ranked areas in the United States to call home and was voted number 46 out of 1,800 on Money’s 2020-21 Best Places to Live rankings. It was also Arizona’s only city to make it on the list. Being home to nearly 260,000 people, is it considered a liberal or conservative city?

Gilbert, Arizona is a conservative city. In the last six presidential elections, five voted in favor of the Republican party, and one for the Democratic party. Gilbert’s mayor, Brigette Peterson, is Republican. Though mayoral elections are nonpartisan, her policies and stances are conservative.

With this city having so much to offer, why is it important to know if this top-tier area is conservative? See maybe why Gilbert’s political views make it one of the most desired cities to live in the nation below.

Demographics

Striving to be one of the largest municipalities in Arizona, Gilbert’s population doubled every 5 years from 1980 to 2000 and is expected to only continue growing. From 2011 to 2021 alone, the city population increased by a soaring 29.1%, with an anticipated population of over 300,000 by 2030.

It’s home to thousands of families, as it caters more to a family-friendly environment, aiding to the youthful and energetic feel it captures with the majority of its population being under 19 years old, and a median age of 34.

Why are so many people making their way over to Gilbert? Well, most of it is due to the affordable healthcare, public school system, low crime rates, friendly communities, and sunny skies. Not to mention the conservative laws lining up with what the majority of the population relies on. But what other views and policies make this place so welcoming?

Mayoral Voting History

Mayor Brigette Peterson has shown great pride in the progress and influx of new individuals and families to Gilbert. With her political views influencing her procedures, she emphasizes her beliefs in public safety, long-range planning, a healthy and vibrant community, as well as economic growth and potential.

She has made her stance on her political party known as Republican, though the mayoral elections are meant to be nonpartisan.

Presidential Voting History

With so many people moving to Gilbert, Arizona from all different parts of the country due to its desirability, it was expected for the voting patterns to shift, but for the first time since 1996, and before since1952, the majority vote went to the Democratic candidate.

Though Gilbert is conservative, because neighboring towns and cities within Maricopa County lean more towards democratic and liberal views, it has caused the county as a whole to be considered democrat. This gives Gilbert more of the “leaning conservative” consensus since it still has the majority.

The whole state of Arizona, however, is still shown to have more registered voters to be Republican at 1,501,302 (34.5%) and democrats at 1,364,178 (31.4%), making it technically a socially liberal, leaning conservative state as a whole.

House of Representatives

The Arizona house of representatives is run by the republican party, a streak that has not yet been broken since 1992. With the house being run by this particular party, it’s no surprise that Gilbert’s representative, Andy Biggs in the 5th district, is a Republican.

These representatives are, like the federal government, split up into branches in which their main duties are to create, modify and update laws. With the control given to republicans, most of the laws currently in motion as well as in practice, reflect the viewpoints of the conservative side.

Since the year 2000, Arizona’s 5th congressional district election majorities have gone to the republican party, as well as the votes toward the president.

Senate

The republican party holds the majority in the Senate. Arizona’s state senate works alongside the Governor in establishing the state budget, passing bills on public policy matters, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

As of January 2022, they enacted new legislative maps after it was initially transmitted to the secretary of state. The Democratic members were opposed, and the Republican members, along with a nonpartisan chair member, voted in favor.

Gilbert, Arizona is in the 17th district, which is represented by J.D. Mesnard, who is also a member of the Republican party.

Conservative Views

Of the 39.8% of religious people in Gilbert, 12% belong to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, who are more commonly known as “Mormons”. Their religious views have been shown to lean more towards the republican party and show conservative voting patterns.

Of the most prominent laws that analysis has been able to distinguish why so many right-wingers enjoy residing in Gilbert, are the gun laws in Maricopa county. The people desired the right to carry and fulfill their 2nd amendment rights of being able to protect themselves, their family, and their properties if the situation called for it.

The healthcare system is also highly favored as the average cost of healthcare in Gilbert is about $6,133 per person, compared to the rest of Arizona averaging $5,983, and the nationwide being only $4,266.

Transportation costs are also lower for single adults, couples, and families in Gilbert when compared to the rest of Arizona and the country.

Taxes in Gilbert, Arizona

Gilbert’s taxes compared to more liberal states and the national average are lower more often than not, making it easier to see cost benefits for individuals and families living in the conservative city.

Let’s compare Gilbert, Arizona to Buffalo, New York. These two cities have approximately the same population, but when compared with one another shows that Gilbert has the lesser in property taxes, income taxes, childcare costs, and sales.

Taxes in Gilbert vary, but the general tax rate is about 1.5%, whereas Buffalo is shown to be 7.38%.

Property taxes show per $100 of assessed value. The assessed value for commercial property is 18% of the limited property value as determined by the Maricopa County Assessor, and the assessed value for residential property is 10% of the limited property value. Compared to Buffalo, Gilbert is about $224 in property tax, and Buffalo is $410.

Income taxes are at 3.4% in Gilbert, the United States average is around 4.6%.

Sales tax in Gilbert is 7.8%, which is higher than the United States average of 5.09%, but with only 18 states being below this number, the 0% in some brings down the average. If you compare to the average liberal state at an 11.25% sales tax rate, the conservative views show some benefits for the people.

The average cost of providing center-based care for an infant in the United States is $1,230 per month. The federal definition of affordable childcare costs 7% or less of annual household income. Child and infant care costs are also much lower in Gilbert at about $912, when compared to most liberal states that hold some of the highest rates in states like New York and Washington which range in childcare costs from $12,835 to $13,404 annually.

Economics in Gilbert, Arizona

Future job growth within this conservative city is about 33.1%, with the national average being 33.5%. This is a great demonstration of the effective republican laws being passed to benefit the people better.

The unemployment rate is 4.5%, while the national average unemployment rate is 6.0%. The job market increased by 3.3% in a year and has an average income per resident of $31,546 per year. The United States average is about $28,555.

It’s been shown that 11 out of the 12 most expensive states to rent from are democrat except Alaska. On the other hand, all but two of the 17 lowest are republican. Arizona is shown to be affordable, even when it comes to housing and renting. However, with the housing market being so high in demand with so many new residents looking for places to stay, it’s been showing higher numbers than the national average.

Is this the City for You?

Gilbert, Arizona is a conservative city. It represents such views with its leadership majority regularly taking republican standpoints, as well as spoken out by the people with their voting history normally going towards the elected officials that match their views.

Needless to say, both parties have pros and cons to policies and the way they prefer things to be run. But if you’re looking for a place that is safe, progressive, diverse, vibrant, and meets your conservative opinions, Gilbert may be the place that you are looking to live in.

With opting to have lower taxes and more freedom with gun laws, it’s clear that it’s a leaning conservative city, despite the recent years surrounding the rest of Maricopa county where it resides voting more liberal.

Overall, if you are conservative but don’t mind living in places that have a large population of liberal people living nearby, you will likely enjoy living in Gilbert, Arizona. However, if you are extremely conservative and don’t want to live nearby liberal people, you likely won’t enjoy living in this city. However, there are more components that you will need to consider before deciding whether or not to move to Gilbert, Arizona.