Portland leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Portland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Portland, ~22% vote Democratic, ~63% Republican, and ~15% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Portland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Portland leans more Republican than 21 of 22 neighbors.
Portland runs about 58 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Portland is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Portland. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+43), a spread of about 11 points.
Why Portland 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 Portland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Portland votes against the grain of Colorado. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while Portland runs about 58 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Portland sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 5%, below 78% of cities).
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Portland, CO does.
Why turnout in Portland looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 99% of adults in Portland have completed high school, about 6 points above the Colorado average of 93%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Penrose, CO R+42
- Florence, CO R+17
- Williamsburg, CO R+12
- Rockvale, CO R+53
- Swallows, CO R+31
- Brookside, CO R+34
- Lincoln Park, CO R+28
- Park Center, CO R+36
- Canon City, CO R+22
- Wetmore, CO R+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Twin Lakes, CO R+4
- Allendale, NY R+44
- Tyler Crossroads, AL R+45
- Kings Creek, NC R+56
- Stroud, AL R+55
- Saxis, VA R+59
- San Isabel, CO R+29
- Edith, TN R+71
- Cooksburg, PA R+57
- Turon, MS R+81
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Colorado 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.