Mendota leans Republican by roughly 20 points: about 40% of voters vote Democratic and 60% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Mendota typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mendota, ~25% vote Democratic, ~38% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mendota compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mendota leans more Republican than 7 of 69 neighbors.
Mendota runs about 30 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while Mendota is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mendota. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+28) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+18), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Mendota 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 Mendota, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mendota votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, well above the Illinois average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Mendota runs against the grain of Illinois, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Mendota, IL sits in the top quarter 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 Mendota looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Mendota is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Meriden, IL R+40
- Triumph, IL R+40
- Troy Grove, IL R+33
- La Moille, IL R+45
- Sublette, IL R+40
- The Burg, IL R+38
- Arlington, IL R+36
- Cherry, IL R+42
- Earlville, IL R+38
- Tomahawk Bluff, IL R+28
Cities with Similar Populations
- Meadow Lakes, AK R+41
- Jemison, AL R+76
- Marshall, NC R+37
- Haiku-Pauwela, HI D+11
- Marietta, PA R+22
- Chuckey, TN R+69
- Santa Clara, UT R+56
- Mound, MN D+6
- Dorr, MI R+43
- Mascotte, FL R+18
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Illinois 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.