McDonald leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 60% of adults in McDonald typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in McDonald, ~20% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How McDonald compares
Among cities within 25 miles, McDonald leans more Republican than 47 of 62 neighbors.
McDonald runs about 28 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within McDonald. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+49) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+13), a spread of about 36 points.
Why McDonald 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 McDonald, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 87% of residents in McDonald drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 81% of households in McDonald are family households, above 91% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; McDonald, NC sits in the bottom tenth 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 McDonald looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. McDonald 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 14 points below the North Carolina average of 61%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 39% of households in McDonald rent, compared to around 23% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 34% of adults in McDonald report food insecurity, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Raynham, NC R+31
- Barnesville, NC R+29
- Fairmont, NC Even
- Rowland, NC R+9
- Echo, NC R+18
- Purvis, NC R+13
- Proctorville, NC R+33
- Elrod, NC R+13
- Hestertown, NC R+29
- Orrum, NC R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fowler, KS R+69
- Fruitdale, SD R+72
- Clarks Mills, PA R+59
- Nickerson, NE R+53
- Daybrook, WV R+60
- Heath, MT R+61
- Lotus, CA R+20
- Dungannon, VA R+68
- Sugar Loaf, ID R+66
- White Earth, MN Even
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.