3. Which brings us to my next point; everyone who's anyone in a major city is a Democrat. There's no point in being a Republican, because the only race that matters is the Democratic primary. And you've got all that peer pressure; if you vote Republican then you're some backwoods redneck hick racist homophobic cow-[inks]ing gun nut woman-hater creationist anti-Semite evil corporate tool who probably shops at Wal-Mart and listens to bands people have heard of. Nobody will like you! But if you're a Democrat, you can say "I support Golda Schniffelstein for Mayor because she's a Jewish lesbian who likes food co-ops and bike trails and climate initiatives and gun buy-backs, and totally not because she's going to keep the police frisking people using similar 'holistic' criteria to the UC admissions system, so I can ride the subway without getting stabbed to death." And all your friends will still like you!
I'm a registered Republican in an urban area. In California, our municipal elections are nonpartisan. I voted for Kevin James and voted for Eric Garcetti in the run-off. But in 2009, I was able to vote for Villaraigosa in the first round.
I don't know about the peer pressure, certainly I haven't experienced it. I don't wear my politics on my sleeve but the conversation occasionally arises and I'm usually met with curiosity. I've yet to be treated poorly due to my partisan affiliation. Possibly, I'm helped by my political views not aligning fully with my party's platform but I don't see what someone has to gain from alienating people due to their beliefs.
Wendy Greuel's campaign tried incessantly to play the gender card. It didn't work. Villaraigosa likewise did not win because of his Hispanic heritage.
