59848 leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 60% of adults in 59848 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 59848, ~18% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 59848 compares
59848 runs about 21 points more Republican than Montana as a whole.
Why 59848 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 59848, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in 59848 live in densely developed areas, about 10 points below the Montana average of 13%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 59848, MT sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 59848 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 59848 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 49%, about 13 points below the Montana average of 62%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in 59848 report food insecurity, above 85% of zip codes. 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 Montana 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.