Gadsden is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Gadsden typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gadsden, ~56% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gadsden compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gadsden leans more Democratic than 47 of 50 neighbors.
Gadsden runs about 81 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Gadsden is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Gadsden. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+70) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+43), a spread of about 27 points.
Why Gadsden 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 Gadsden, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural, majority-Black areas of the Southern Black Belt vote Democratic, against the usual rural pattern. About 88% of residents in Gadsden are Black or African American, about 58 points above the South Carolina average of 30%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Gadsden have never been married, above 90% of cities. Gadsden runs against the grain of South Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Gadsden, SC sits above the national average on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Gadsden looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Gadsden 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 57%, below 68% of cities. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in Gadsden own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eastover, SC D+38
- Horrel Hill, SC Even
- Hopkins, SC D+45
- Wateree, SC D+32
- Sanders Corner, SC D+17
- Hammond Crossroads, SC R+37
- Wiles Crossroads, SC R+21
- Independents, SC R+18
- Singleton, SC D+3
- St. Matthews, SC D+6
Cities with Similar Populations
- Northport, MI D+10
- Winnebago, MN R+42
- Stafford, NY R+33
- Poolville, TX R+72
- Higdon, AL R+83
- Rawlings, MD R+60
- Warrendale, PA Even
- Meshoppen, PA R+54
- Mears, MI R+22
- Union Mills, IN R+44
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.