Buena Vista leans heavily Republican by roughly 36 points: about 32% of voters vote Democratic and 68% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Buena Vista typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Buena Vista, ~25% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Buena Vista compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Buena Vista leans more Republican than 17 of 69 neighbors.
Buena Vista runs about 43 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Buena Vista is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Buena Vista. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 19 points.
Why Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Buena Vista votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, well above the Virginia average of 26%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Buena Vista runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Buena Vista, VA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Buena Vista looks the way it does
Turnout in Buena Vista 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 Cities
- Riverside, VA R+39
- East Lexington, VA R+38
- Oronoco, VA R+48
- Lexington, VA R+8
- Glasgow, VA R+33
- Buffalo Forge, VA R+37
- Timber Ridge, VA R+37
- Pleasant View, VA R+49
- Vesuvius, VA R+45
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bloomingdale, NJ R+14
- Garden City, SC R+30
- Evington, VA R+45
- Pelham, NY D+42
- Oak Island, NC R+30
- Nebraska City, NE R+30
- Pacific, WA D+14
- Arnaudville, LA R+54
- Eaton, CO R+39
- Port Richey, FL R+27
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.