New Salem is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 61% of adults in New Salem typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in New Salem, ~11% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How New Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, New Salem leans more Republican than 19 of 28 neighbors.
New Salem runs about 48 points more Republican than Kansas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within New Salem. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+74) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+55), a spread of about 19 points.
Why New Salem 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 New Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in New Salem live in densely developed areas, about 15 points below the Kansas average of 19%.
Developed land and Republican lean
Places with a rural land-use pattern tend to lean Republican; New Salem, KS sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Developed land does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in New Salem looks the way it does
Turnout in New Salem 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
- Floral, KS R+63
- Tisdale, KS R+70
- Hackney, KS R+40
- Burden, KS R+70
- Winfield, KS R+29
- Maple City, KS R+74
- Wilmot, KS R+63
- Cambridge, KS R+71
- Atlanta, KS R+68
- Rock, KS R+61
Cities with Similar Populations
- Marshfield, IN R+64
- Norristown, GA R+69
- Olympus Heights, CO R+22
- Wilpen, PA R+38
- Woodstock, NH Even
- Austwell, TX R+34
- Rokeby Lock, OH R+61
- Harmony, VA R+32
- York, AZ R+59
- Palmer Springs, VA R+34
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kansas 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.