South Portland leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Maine did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 75% of adults in South Portland typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Portland, ~53% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Portland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Portland leans more Democratic than 57 of 63 neighbors.
South Portland runs about 36 points more Democratic than Maine as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Portland. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+59) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+27), a spread of about 32 points.
Why South 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 South Portland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 50% of adults in South Portland hold a bachelor's degree, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in South Portland have never been married, above 90% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; South Portland, ME sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in South Portland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Portland 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cape Elizabeth, ME D+46
- Portland, ME D+62
- Cash Corner, ME D+47
- Peaks Island, ME D+57
- Scarborough, ME D+21
- Westbrook, ME D+17
- Long Island, ME D+52
- Falmouth, ME D+31
- Cumberland Foreside, ME D+33
Cities with Similar Populations
- South Pasadena, CA D+52
- Kings Mountain, NC R+39
- Yelm, WA R+20
- Mount Vernon, OH R+39
- Garden City, NY R+16
- Waianae, HI D+6
- Monsey, NY R+92
- Hastings, MN R+11
- Baldwin, NY D+40
- Watertown, WI R+22
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations Elections and Commissions, 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. ME did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.