Southampton County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Southampton County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Southampton County, ~29% vote Democratic, ~45% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Southampton County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Southampton County leans more Republican than 27 of 29 neighbors.
Southampton County runs about 27 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Southampton County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Southampton County. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+20) and the east side runs the most Republican (R+42), a spread of about 62 points.
Why Southampton 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 Southampton County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Southampton County votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Southampton County runs about 27 points more Republican.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Southampton County, VA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Southampton County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Southampton County 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 64%, above 75% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Franklin City, VA D+32
- Sussex County, VA Even
- Hertford County, NC D+25
- Greensville County, VA D+13
- Emporia City, VA D+43
- Gates County, NC R+29
- Isle of Wight County, VA R+17
- Northampton County, NC D+15
- Suffolk City, VA D+20
- Surry County, VA D+2
Counties with Similar Populations
- Russell County, KY R+67
- Brantley County, GA R+80
- Benzie County, MI R+10
- Madison County, FL R+18
- Grant County, AR R+71
- Banks County, GA R+78
- Johnson County, TN R+67
- Kalkaska County, MI R+42
- Bertie County, NC D+19
- Unicoi County, TN R+57
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.