Penn Laird leans Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Penn Laird typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Penn Laird, ~30% vote Democratic, ~55% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Penn Laird compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Penn Laird leans more Republican than 17 of 71 neighbors.
Penn Laird runs about 35 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Penn Laird is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Penn Laird. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+17), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Penn Laird 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 Penn Laird, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Penn Laird votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Penn Laird runs about 35 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Penn Laird runs against that pattern.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Penn Laird, VA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Penn Laird looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Penn Laird 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Massanetta Springs, VA R+7
- Mc Gaheysville, VA R+32
- Massanutten, VA R+20
- Keezletown, VA R+40
- Port Republic, VA R+44
- Harrisonburg, VA D+7
- Island Ford, VA R+55
- Mount Crawford, VA R+36
- Grottoes, VA R+51
- Weyers Cave, VA R+41
Cities with Similar Populations
- Carlsbad, TX R+76
- Broaddus, TX R+80
- Athena, OR R+60
- La Harpe, IL R+57
- Le Roy, MN R+35
- Philmont, NY R+7
- Granite Springs, NY R+6
- Savoy, TX R+72
- Dennis, MS R+81
- Egg Harbor, WI D+4
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.