Kent is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Kent typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kent, ~12% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kent compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kent leans more Republican than 49 of 79 neighbors.
Kent runs about 71 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Kent is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kent. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Kent 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 Kent, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Kent, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Virginia average of 29%. Kent runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Park access and Democratic lean
Places with heavy park coverage tend to lean Democratic; Kent, VA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Kent looks the way it does
Turnout in Kent sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Fort Chiswell, VA R+55
- Max Meadows, VA R+68
- Walton Furnace, VA R+68
- Stones Mill, VA R+71
- Wytheville, VA R+45
- Huddle, VA R+71
- Kindrick, VA R+64
- Ivanhoe, VA R+69
- Porters Crossroads, VA R+55
- Fosters Falls, VA R+72
Cities with Similar Populations
- Poindexter, KY R+59
- North Orange, MA R+20
- Jericho, WI R+50
- Rowland, PA R+40
- Bethel, OK R+84
- Troxel, IL R+32
- Taylors Valley, VA R+60
- Taylorville, WV R+75
- Red Hill, OK R+71
- Ellis Mills, TN R+67
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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.