Bristol City leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Bristol City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bristol City, ~25% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bristol City compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Bristol City leans more Republican than 1 of 21 neighbors.
Bristol City runs about 38 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Bristol City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Bristol City. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+13), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Bristol City 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 Bristol City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Bristol City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 85%, far above the Virginia average of 26%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Bristol City runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Bristol City, VA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Bristol City looks the way it does
Turnout in Bristol City 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
- Washington County, VA R+52
- Sullivan County, TN R+50
- Carter County, TN R+61
- Johnson County, TN R+67
- Russell County, VA R+68
- Scott County, VA R+70
- Washington County, TN R+37
- Norton City, VA R+39
- Wise County, VA R+55
- Unicoi County, TN R+57
Counties with Similar Populations
- Manassas Park City, VA D+19
- Cook County, GA R+34
- Union County, IL R+48
- Ben Hill County, GA R+17
- Park County, MT R+14
- Sharp County, AR R+62
- Humboldt County, NV R+53
- Arkansas County, AR R+33
- Henry County, AL R+45
- Tama County, IA R+25
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.