Ghent leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Ghent typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ghent, ~51% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ghent compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Ghent leans more Democratic than 6 of 16 neighbors.
Ghent runs about 43 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Ghent. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+55) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+44), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Ghent 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 Ghent, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 64% of adults in Ghent hold a bachelor's degree, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Ghent, Norfolk, VA sits in the top 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 Ghent looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ghent 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Ghent have completed high school, above 89% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Ghent Square, Norfolk, VA D+39
- Park Place, Norfolk, VA D+72
- Downtown Norfolk, Norfolk, VA D+61
- Lindenwood, Norfolk, VA D+80
- Highland Park, Norfolk, VA D+73
- Lamberts Point, Norfolk, VA D+67
- Colonial Place Riverview, Norfolk, VA D+61
- Central Brambleton, Norfolk, VA D+84
- Larchmont-Edgewater, Norfolk, VA D+31
- Fairmont Park, Norfolk, VA D+63
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Durrs Homeowners, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+80
- Arlington Heights, Milwaukee, WI D+88
- Tarpon River, Fort Lauderdale, FL D+4
- Downtown Kent, Kent, OH D+29
- Mabury Park, Santa Ana, CA D+20
- Central, Helena, MT D+31
- Chabot Park, Oakland, CA D+67
- Little Blue Valley, Kansas City, MO Even
- Stanley-Aley, Wichita, KS R+5
- Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY D+58
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.