Bradley County leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Bradley County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bradley County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bradley County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Bradley County leans more Republican than 2 of 18 neighbors.
Bradley County runs about 19 points more Republican than Tennessee as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Bradley County. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Bradley County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bradley County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bradley County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 53%, far above the Tennessee average of 21%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 69% of households in Bradley County are family households, above 77% of counties.
Developed land and Democratic lean
Places with a heavily developed built environment tend to lean Democratic; Bradley County, TN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Bradley County looks the way it does
Turnout in Bradley County 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 Counties
- Polk County, TN R+72
- Hamilton County, TN R+10
- McMinn County, TN R+61
- Meigs County, TN R+72
- Catoosa County, GA R+54
- Whitfield County, GA R+38
- Murray County, GA R+68
- Rhea County, TN R+63
- Sequatchie County, TN R+68
- Walker County, GA R+61
Counties with Similar Populations
- St. Lawrence County, NY R+18
- Miami County, OH R+42
- Bartow County, GA R+46
- Madison County, MS R+5
- Eaton County, MI R+8
- Pennington County, SD R+28
- Cass County, MO R+32
- Rockwall County, TX R+35
- Yamhill County, OR R+5
- Terrebonne Parish, LA R+42
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Tennessee Secretary of State, Division 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.