Holden is a Republican stronghold. About 17% of voters here vote Democratic and 83% Republican.
About 38% of adults in Holden typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Holden, ~6% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~62% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Holden compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Holden leans more Republican than 31 of 142 neighbors.
Holden runs about 24 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Why Holden 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 Holden, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 90% of residents in Holden drive to work alone, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Holden sits in the bottom quarter (about 11%, below 91% of cities).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Holden, WV sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Holden looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Holden is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 11 points below the West Virginia average of 52%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 25% of adults in Holden report food insecurity, above 90% of cities. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Holden sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Verdunville, WV R+66
- Pine Creek, WV R+66
- Whitman, WV R+62
- Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV R+59
- Mount Gay, WV R+62
- Wilkinson, WV R+58
- Monaville, WV R+67
- Troy Town, WV R+70
- Switzer, WV R+68
- Logan, WV R+54
Cities with Similar Populations
- Pattison, TX R+37
- Alexis, IL R+38
- Arlington, SD R+49
- Melcher-Dallas, IA R+39
- Blue River, CO D+18
- Clarks Grove, MN R+41
- Sherwood Shores, TX R+57
- Peconic, NY R+4
- Greenview, IL R+51
- Riverton, MN R+36
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from West Virginia 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.