Mount Pleasant leans Republican by roughly 24 points: about 38% of voters vote Democratic and 62% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Mount Pleasant typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Mount Pleasant, ~30% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Mount Pleasant compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Mount Pleasant leans more Republican than 3 of 60 neighbors.
Mount Pleasant runs about 11 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Mount Pleasant. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+35) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+20), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Mount Pleasant 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 Mount Pleasant, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Mount Pleasant votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 55%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Mount Pleasant, IA sits in the top 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 Mount Pleasant looks the way it does
Turnout in Mount Pleasant sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Oakland Mills, IA R+46
- Westwood, IA R+47
- Rome, IA R+48
- Mount Union, IA R+43
- Salem, IA R+49
- New London, IA R+35
- Trenton, IA R+47
- Swedesburg, IA R+46
- Lockridge, IA R+48
- Olds, IA R+46
Cities with Similar Populations
- St. Louis, MI R+17
- Decorah, IA D+4
- South Park Township, PA R+10
- Briarcliff Manor, NY D+21
- Cottage Grove, WI D+22
- Harrison, MI R+40
- Russell Springs, KY R+68
- Hampshire, IL R+19
- Batesville, IN R+51
- Spring City, PA D+7
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.