Downtown East is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Downtown East typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown East, ~57% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown East compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown East leans more Democratic than 13 of 55 neighbors.
Downtown East runs about 60 points more Democratic than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown East. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+73) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+61), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Downtown East leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Downtown East, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 84% of adults in Downtown East hold a bachelor's degree, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Downtown East, Minneapolis, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Downtown East looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 98% of adults in Downtown East have completed high school, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Elliot Park, Minneapolis, MN D+63
- Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, MN D+66
- Downtown West, Minneapolis, MN D+61
- Marcy Holmes, Minneapolis, MN D+59
- Ventura Village, Minneapolis, MN D+62
- University District, Minneapolis, MN D+54
- North Loop, Minneapolis, MN D+65
- Loring Park, Minneapolis, MN D+69
- Stevens Square, Minneapolis, MN D+71
- Seward, Minneapolis, MN D+78
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Downtown Grand Forks, Grand Forks, ND D+12
- Westland Terrace, Pine Hills, FL D+70
- Westbury, Lehi, UT R+25
- Summit Heights, Fontana, CA D+8
- Coquina Key, St. Petersburg, FL D+35
- Belmont, Downers Grove, IL D+19
- Downtown Conneaut, Conneaut, OH R+19
- 45th and Moncrief, Jacksonville, FL D+78
- South Roanoke, Roanoke, VA D+16
- Lakeview North, Provo, UT R+24
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.