Bedford leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Bedford typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bedford, ~23% vote Democratic, ~53% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bedford compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bedford leans more Republican than 15 of 63 neighbors.
Bedford runs about 45 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Bedford is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bedford. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+52) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Bedford leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bedford, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bedford votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Bedford runs about 45 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Bedford runs against that pattern.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Bedford, VA sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Bedford looks the way it does
Turnout in Bedford sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lowry, VA R+42
- Otterville, VA R+48
- Goode, VA R+48
- Union, VA R+59
- Otter Hill, VA R+49
- Reba, VA R+50
- Thaxton, VA R+58
- Coltons Mill, VA R+54
- Charlemont, VA R+56
- Sedalia, VA R+55
Cities with Similar Populations
- South River, NJ R+13
- Laconia, NH D+2
- Washington, IN R+46
- Taylorville, IL R+40
- Riverside, RI D+8
- Fort Riley, KS R+24
- Guntersville, AL R+64
- Westwood, MA D+28
- Cordele, GA D+6
- Smithfield, VA R+7
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department of 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.