Brightwood leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 88% of adults in Brightwood typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Brightwood, ~41% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~12% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Brightwood compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Brightwood leans more Republican than 21 of 39 neighbors.
Brightwood runs about 21 points more Republican than Oregon as a whole. Oregon leans Democratic overall, while Brightwood is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Brightwood. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+2) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+24), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Brightwood 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 Brightwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Brightwood votes against the grain of Oregon. Oregon leans Democratic overall, while Brightwood runs about 21 points more Republican.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Brightwood, OR sits in the top tenth 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 Brightwood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Brightwood 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Brightwood have completed high school, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Mount Hood Village, OR D+5
- Welches, OR Even
- Rhododendron, OR D+4
- Cherryville, OR R+24
- Marmot, OR Even
- Zigzag, OR Even
- George, OR R+30
- Sandy, OR R+14
- Government Camp, OR D+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Continental Divide, NM D+19
- Shadeville, FL R+44
- New Auburn, MN R+57
- East Lynne, MO R+60
- Wetmore, TX R+51
- Summit, AR R+61
- Fairfield, MI R+29
- Reiles Acres, ND R+37
- Dante, VA R+69
- Woodstock, OH R+65
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Oregon Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.