Lena leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Lena typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lena, ~38% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lena compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lena leans more Democratic than 43 of 49 neighbors.
Lena runs about 54 points more Democratic than South Carolina as a whole. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Lena is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lena. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+63) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+23), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Lena 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 Lena, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lena votes against the grain of South Carolina. South Carolina leans Republican overall, while Lena runs about 54 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 42% of adults in Lena have never been married, above 95% of cities.
Food insecurity and voter turnout
Places with high food insecurity tend to turn out at a lower rate; Lena, SC sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Food insecurity does not directly drive turnout; it reflects economic hardship, which lines up with lower voting.
Why turnout in Lena looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Lena 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 47%, about 12 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Lena report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 75% of adults in Lena have completed high school, below 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Estill, SC D+31
- Garnett, SC D+29
- Furman, SC D+30
- Scotia, SC D+48
- Nixville, SC R+58
- Luray, SC D+17
- Miley, SC R+54
- Shirley, SC D+47
- Gifford, SC D+6
- Pineland, SC D+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- New Jasper, OH R+64
- Bear Creek Village, PA R+36
- Mooreville, TX R+68
- Kitzmiller, MD R+67
- Shelby, SD R+24
- Fiatt, IL R+41
- Ouray, UT R+43
- Spring Seat, TX R+73
- McPhearson, AR R+61
- Latah, WA R+53
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, 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.