Brainard is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Brainard typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brainard, ~15% vote Democratic, ~60% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brainard compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Brainard leans more Republican than 22 of 36 neighbors.
Brainard runs about 40 points more Republican than Nebraska as a whole.
Why Brainard 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 Brainard, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Brainard sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 6 points above the Nebraska average of 88%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Brainard, NE sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Brainard looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Brainard 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Brainard have completed high school, above 80% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Loma, NE R+60
- Dwight, NE R+61
- Bruno, NE R+64
- Garrison, NE R+65
- David City, NE R+60
- Valparaiso, NE R+56
- Bee, NE R+61
- Weston, NE R+57
- Abie, NE R+63
- Ulysses, NE R+66
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hannah, SC R+59
- Pleasantville, WI R+30
- Skedee, OK R+63
- Helm, CA R+21
- Trent, OR R+17
- Trenton, KS R+60
- Trace, WV R+80
- Revive, MS D+35
- Solgohachia, AR R+61
- Richview, IL R+64
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Nebraska 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.