Lincoln leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Lincoln typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lincoln, ~19% vote Democratic, ~54% Republican, and ~27% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lincoln compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Lincoln leans more Republican than 7 of 31 neighbors.
Lincoln runs about 51 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Lincoln is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Lincoln. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+51) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Lincoln 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 Lincoln, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lincoln votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Lincoln runs about 51 points more Republican.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Lincoln, MN sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Lincoln looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lincoln is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 65%, above 68% of cities. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 93% of households in Lincoln own their home, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cushing, MN R+43
- Philbrook, MN R+53
- Randall, MN R+57
- Motley, MN R+49
- Browerville, MN R+49
- Clarissa, MN R+54
- Staples, MN R+48
- Pillager, MN R+47
- Flensburg, MN R+65
- Sylvan, MN R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Spring Creek, NC R+39
- Dora, MO R+71
- East Sheldon, VT R+44
- Homeacre, PA R+44
- Welcome, WA R+4
- Pattersonville, OH R+64
- Dryad, WA R+42
- Mountain View, WA R+7
- Benoit, MS D+29
- Benedict, MN R+25
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.