Kent leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Kent typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kent, ~35% vote Democratic, ~20% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kent compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kent leans more Democratic than 62 of 100 neighbors.
Kent runs about 10 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kent. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+40) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+21), a spread of about 19 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.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 92% of residents in Kent live in densely developed areas, about 56 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in Kent have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Kent, WA 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 Kent looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 46% of households in Kent rent, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Hill-Meridian, WA D+24
- Lakeland North, WA D+16
- Des Moines, WA D+31
- Auburn, WA D+18
- Covington, WA D+11
- SeaTac, WA D+37
- Fairwood, WA D+31
- Lake Morton-Berrydale, WA D+6
- Algona, WA D+11
- Renton, WA D+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- Baytown, TX R+4
- Merced, CA D+6
- Quincy, MA D+28
- Norwalk, CA D+26
- Greenville, NC D+25
- Longview, TX R+25
- Compton, CA D+53
- McDonough, GA D+22
- Plainfield, IL D+4
- Antioch, TN D+28
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.