Sheldon leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Sheldon typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sheldon, ~20% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sheldon compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sheldon leans more Republican than 39 of 54 neighbors.
Sheldon runs about 36 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Sheldon is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Sheldon 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 Sheldon, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Sheldon live in densely developed areas, about 18 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Sheldon runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Sheldon, MN does.
Why turnout in Sheldon looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sheldon 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 65%, above 69% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Caledonia, MN R+32
- Yucatan, MN R+33
- Houston, MN R+34
- Spring Grove, MN R+30
- Wilmington, MN R+32
- Riceford, MN R+29
- Hokah, MN R+24
- Freeburg, MN R+28
- Money Creek, MN R+31
- South Rushford, MN R+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- Moss Run, OH R+62
- Waverly, SD R+57
- Lynxville, WI R+29
- Pindall, AR R+70
- Dunfermline, IL R+39
- Ralphton, PA R+66
- Phelps, MN R+36
- Valley Ford, CA D+40
- Woody, IL R+61
- Zama, MS R+53
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.