Despite being located in the Southwest, most of the states with the most similar presidential preferences to New Mexico are all in other parts of the country. The five states with the least similar presidential voting preferences are all located in the Southeast region. This is because they used to vote for Democrats but now prefer Republicans. New Mexico is the opposite.
5 States with similar presidential preferences to New Mexico
- New Jersey and New Mexico are not neighbors, but they have voted for the same presidential candidates in every election since 1952, with the exception of 2004. In that year New Jersey voted for the Democrat John Kerry, while New Mexico voted for the Republican George W. Bush.
- Illinois is in the Midwest, but it has voted in presidential elections similarly to New Jersey and New Mexico as well. They have voted for the same presidential candidates in every election since 1920, with the exception of 2004. In that year Illinois voted for the Democrat John Kerry, while New Mexico voted for the Republican George W. Bush.
- Nevada and New Mexico have voted very similarly in presidential elections. The only election that they did not vote for the same candidate was in 2000, when Al Gore won New Mexico, but George W. Bush won Nevada. Even then, Gore only won New Mexico by less than 0.1% of the vote. Both states have a relatively high number of Latinos.
- California is another state with a large Latino population. Since 1960, the two states have voted for the same presidential ticket, with the exception of 1960 and 2004. In 1960, California voted for Richard Nixon, since he was from their state. In contrast, New Mexico voted for the Democrat John F. Kennedy.
- Connecticut and New Mexico have also voted similarly in presidential elections. Since 1960, they have voted for the same presidential ticket, with the exception of 1968 and 2004. In 1968, California voted for Richard Nixon, since he was from their state. In contrast, New Mexico voted for the Democrat Hubert Humphrey.
5 States with least similar presidential preferences to New Mexico
New Mexico Presidential Voting History
2024: Kamala Harris (D)
2020: Joe Biden (D)
2016: Hillary Clinton (D)
2012: Barack Obama (D)
2008: Barack Obama (D)
2004: George W. Bush (R)
2000: Al Gore (D)
1996: Bill Clinton (D)
1992: Bill Clinton (D)
1988: George H.W. Bush (R)
1984: Ronald Reagan (R)
1980: Ronald Reagan (R)
1976: Gerald Ford (R)
1972: Richard Nixon (R)
1968: Richard Nixon (R)
1964: Lyndon B. Johnson (D)
1960: John F. Kennedy (D)