Pennington Gap is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Pennington Gap typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pennington Gap, ~14% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pennington Gap compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Pennington Gap leans more Republican than 2 of 108 neighbors.
Pennington Gap runs about 64 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Pennington Gap is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Pennington Gap. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+50), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Pennington Gap 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 Pennington Gap, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pennington Gap votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Pennington Gap runs about 64 points more Republican. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Pennington Gap runs against that pattern. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Pennington Gap sits in the bottom quarter (about 11%, below 91% of cities).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Pennington Gap, VA sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Pennington Gap looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Pennington Gap 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 18 points below the Virginia average of 64%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Woodway, VA R+59
- Stone Creek, VA R+64
- St. Charles, VA R+68
- Dryden, VA R+65
- Maness, VA R+67
- Ocoonita, VA R+63
- Shepherd Hill, VA R+69
- Jonesville, VA R+64
- Blackwater, VA R+72
- Cranks, KY R+78
Cities with Similar Populations
- Roebling, NJ D+5
- Horse Cave, KY R+50
- Henning, TN R+33
- Holloman AFB, NM R+12
- Fordland, MO R+68
- Columbus, KS R+52
- New Glarus, WI Even
- Wilton, NH R+4
- Bellows Falls, VT D+18
- Osterville, MA D+22
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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.