56279 leans heavily Republican by roughly 50 points: about 25% of voters vote Democratic and 75% Republican.
About 62% of adults in 56279 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 56279, ~16% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 56279 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 56279 leans more Republican than 7 of 8 neighbors.
56279 runs about 54 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56279 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 56279. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+53) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+38), a spread of about 15 points.
Why 56279 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 56279, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
56279 votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while 56279 runs about 54 points more Republican. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in 56279 are family households, above 90% of zip codes.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 56279, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 56279 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 56279 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota Secretary of State, 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.