South Portsmouth is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 61% of adults in South Portsmouth typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Portsmouth, ~11% vote Democratic, ~50% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Portsmouth compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Portsmouth leans more Republican than 44 of 85 neighbors.
South Portsmouth runs about 31 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Portsmouth. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+58), a spread of about 10 points.
Why South Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In South Portsmouth, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 11% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 8 points below the Kentucky average of 19%.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a high non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Portsmouth, KY sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in South Portsmouth looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. South Portsmouth is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- South Shore, KY R+61
- Friendship, OH R+59
- West Portsmouth, OH R+54
- Letitia, KY R+70
- Maloneton, KY R+65
- Portsmouth, OH R+30
- New Boston, OH R+36
- Rosemount, OH R+41
- Quincy, KY R+63
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dighton, KS R+78
- Grand Coulee, WA R+31
- Jamestown, SC R+14
- Clarkfield, MN R+47
- Fisk, MO R+70
- Cotton Valley, LA R+35
- Middleburg, NC D+8
- Chico, WA D+19
- Polonia, WI R+25
- Palmer, TN R+68
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board 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.