Cotton, MN Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Cotton

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Cotton is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.

 

About 60% of adults in Cotton typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cotton, ~29% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Cotton compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Cotton leans more Republican than 3 of 30 neighbors.

Cotton runs about 9 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cotton. The southwest side is the most split-leaning (R+20) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 20 points.

Why Cotton leans the way it does

Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Cotton. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.

Paved land cover and Republican lean

Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Cotton, MN sits in the bottom tenth 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 Cotton looks the way it does

Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cotton 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.