Donaldson leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Donaldson typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Donaldson, ~16% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Donaldson compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Donaldson leans more Republican than 4 of 17 neighbors.
Donaldson runs about 30 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Donaldson is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Donaldson. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+64) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 41 points.
Why Donaldson 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 Donaldson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Donaldson votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Donaldson runs about 30 points more Republican.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Donaldson, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Donaldson looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. Donaldson sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Donaldson sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Kennedy, MN R+23
- Stephen, MN R+55
- Robbin, MN R+26
- Halma, MN R+45
- Noyes, MN R+37
- Lake Bronson, MN R+45
- Hallock, MN R+25
- Drayton, ND R+43
- Karlstad, MN R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Echols, KY R+65
- Dupree Crossroads, NC R+3
- Oxford, WV R+71
- Knox, ND R+46
- Skellyville, KS R+66
- Plainview, OK R+76
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.