Russell County is a Republican stronghold. About 16% of voters here vote Democratic and 84% Republican.
About 70% of adults in Russell County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Russell County, ~11% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~30% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Russell County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Russell County leans more Republican than 16 of 17 neighbors.
Russell County runs about 74 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Russell County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Russell County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+72) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+62), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Russell County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Russell County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Russell County, about 97% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 13% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Virginia average of 29%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Russell County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 13%, below 77% of counties). Russell County runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Russell County, VA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Russell County looks the way it does
Turnout in Russell County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Washington County, VA R+52
- Dickenson County, VA R+66
- Buchanan County, VA R+67
- Bristol City, VA R+32
- Wise County, VA R+55
- Smyth County, VA R+57
- Norton City, VA R+39
- Tazewell County, VA R+58
- Sullivan County, TN R+50
- Scott County, VA R+70
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lawrence County, SD R+37
- Montgomery County, NC R+34
- Staunton City, VA Even
- Johnson County, AR R+54
- Hart County, GA R+47
- Montezuma County, CO R+24
- Plymouth County, IA R+49
- McNairy County, TN R+71
- Edgefield County, SC R+23
- Garvin County, OK R+61
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.