Kessler is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Kessler typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kessler, ~12% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kessler compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Kessler leans more Republican than 72 of 103 neighbors.
Kessler runs about 20 points more Republican than West Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Kessler. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+66) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Kessler 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 Kessler, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 3% of residents in Kessler live in densely developed areas, about 9 points below the West Virginia average of 12%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Kessler, WV sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Kessler looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Kessler 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Rupert, WV R+54
- Shawvers Crossing, WV R+60
- Orient Hill, WV R+67
- Charmco, WV R+68
- Crawley, WV R+58
- McRoss, WV R+66
- Leslie, WV R+68
- Quinwood, WV R+67
- Duo, WV R+65
- Cornstalk, WV R+57
Cities with Similar Populations
- Monitor, OR R+37
- Barnesville, NC R+29
- New Richmond, PA R+55
- Batchelor, LA R+26
- Summit, SD R+40
- Hannah, GA R+61
- Thackery, OH R+57
- Du Bois, IL R+58
- Tyner, IN R+51
- Forest, AL R+52
All Local Stats
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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.