The Bush is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.
About 38% of adults in The Bush typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in The Bush, ~32% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~62% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How The Bush compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, The Bush leans more Democratic than 2 of 19 neighbors.
The Bush runs about 58 points more Democratic than Illinois as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within The Bush. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+77) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+61), a spread of about 16 points.
Why The Bush leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for The Bush, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 52% of adults in The Bush have never been married, modestly above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 42%).
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; The Bush, Chicago, IL sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in The Bush looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. The Bush is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 22 points below the Illinois average of 63%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 48% of adults in The Bush report food insecurity, above 98% of neighborhoods. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 74% of adults in The Bush have completed high school, below 92% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Hyde Park, Austin, TX D+71
- Bala Cynwyd, Bala-Cynwyd, PA D+48
- Summit Hill, St. Paul, MN D+71
- Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA D+53
- Bryant, Buffalo, NY D+68
- Elmwood Area, Abilene, TX R+25
- Central Business District, Orlando, FL D+30
- East Side Capistrano, Oceanside, CA D+15
- Greenville, Scarsdale, NY D+27
- Disston Heights, St. Petersburg, FL Even
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Illinois 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.