Turtle River leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 82% of adults in Turtle River typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Turtle River, ~34% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~18% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Turtle River compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Turtle River leans more Republican than 6 of 21 neighbors.
Turtle River runs about 22 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Turtle River is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Turtle River. The south side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the north side runs the most Republican (R+38), a spread of about 38 points.
Why Turtle River 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 Turtle River, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. About 4% of residents in Turtle River live in densely developed areas, about 19 points below the Minnesota average of 23%. Turtle River runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Turtle River, MN 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 Turtle River looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Turtle River 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 92% of households in Turtle River own their home, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tenstrike, MN R+38
- Bemidji, MN R+7
- Pennington, MN Even
- Hines, MN R+42
- Farris, MN R+8
- Wilton, MN R+36
- Nebish, MN R+38
- Puposky, MN R+20
- Cass Lake, MN D+24
- Blackduck, MN R+49
Cities with Similar Populations
- Kendalia, TX R+59
- Buckhorn Crossroads, NC R+43
- Eastern, KY R+60
- Harman Junction, VA R+63
- Pulaskiville, OH R+60
- Mc Leod, TX R+82
- Allerton, IA R+62
- Richland, NJ R+25
- St. Clair, VA R+50
- Wren, MS R+52
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota Secretary of State, 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.