Sunny Side leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 76% of adults in Sunny Side typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sunny Side, ~28% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sunny Side compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sunny Side leans more Republican than 35 of 69 neighbors.
Sunny Side runs about 31 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Sunny Side is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sunny Side. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 35 points.
Why Sunny Side 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 Sunny Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 5% of residents in Sunny Side live in densely developed areas, about 21 points below the Virginia average of 26%. Sunny Side runs against the grain of Virginia, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Sunny Side, VA sits in the bottom quarter 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 Sunny Side looks the way it does
Turnout in Sunny Side sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Ballsville, VA R+52
- Cumberland, VA R+21
- Oak Forest, VA R+35
- Truxillo, VA R+44
- Trent Mill, VA R+18
- Hillcrest, VA R+14
- Jetersville, VA R+44
- Lodore, VA R+43
- Guinea Mills, VA R+25
- Hatchers, VA R+43
Cities with Similar Populations
- Albion, ID R+81
- Alberta, AL D+73
- Bluebell, UT R+86
- Beaumont, KY R+64
- Kulm, ND R+59
- Boonsville, TX R+76
- Berea, NE R+81
- Junction City, LA R+21
- Pickstown, SD R+15
- Lytton, IA R+51
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.