Waldo leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 78% of adults in Waldo typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waldo, ~34% vote Democratic, ~44% Republican, and ~22% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waldo compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Waldo is the most Republican-leaning.
Waldo runs about 18 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Waldo is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Waldo. The north side is the most split-leaning (R+21) and the south side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Waldo 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 Waldo, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waldo votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Waldo runs about 18 points more Republican.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with homeowner-heavy households tend to turn out at a higher rate; Waldo, MN sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Waldo looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Waldo 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 94% of households in Waldo own their home, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Two Harbors, MN R+3
- Larsmont, MN R+9
- Knife River, MN R+8
- Whyte, MN R+7
- Highland, MN R+12
- Palmers, MN D+3
- Wales, MN R+12
- Brimson, MN Even
- East Beaver Bay, MN R+8
Cities with Similar Populations
- Sunnyside, NC R+53
- Lockwood, CA R+34
- Rockford, WV R+59
- Henderson, WV R+65
- Pittsville, MO R+60
- Long Lake, NY Even
- Speedway, WV R+59
- Willow Hill, IL R+68
- Omar, WV R+69
- Eagleville, MO R+73
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.