Brighton Beach leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 48% of adults in Brighton Beach typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brighton Beach, ~14% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brighton Beach compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Brighton Beach leans more Republican than 13 of 14 neighbors.
Brighton Beach runs about 53 points more Republican than New York as a whole. New York leans Democratic overall, while Brighton Beach is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Brighton Beach. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+58) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+21), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Brighton Beach leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Brighton Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Brighton Beach votes against the grain of New York. New York leans Democratic overall, while Brighton Beach runs about 53 points more Republican.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Brighton Beach looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 28% of homes in Brighton Beach have more than one occupant per room, in the top fraction of neighborhoods. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 76% of households in Brighton Beach rent, compared to around 49% in nearby neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, NY R+51
- Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY R+18
- Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY R+33
- Gravesend-Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY R+29
- Breezy Point, Queens, NY R+36
- Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, NY R+22
- Mapleton-Flatlands, Brooklyn, NY D+4
- Bergen Beach, Brooklyn, NY R+24
- Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NY R+20
- Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY R+33
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Glassell Park, Los Angeles, CA D+48
- Greenbrier East, Chesapeake, VA D+8
- Northeast, Columbus, OH D+63
- Westgate, Henderson, NV D+6
- Landmark-Van Dom, Alexandria, VA D+54
- Wynwood, Miami, FL D+12
- Forest Park, Springfield, MA D+37
- North Laurel, Scaggsville, MD D+45
- Las Tierras, El Paso, TX D+14
- Northeast, Reno, NV D+16
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York State Board 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.