Washington leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Washington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Washington, ~42% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Washington compares
Among states within 500 miles, Washington is the most Democratic-leaning.
Politics vary noticeably by county within Washington. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+26) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+15), a spread of about 40 points.
Why Washington leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per state to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Washington, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 39% of adults in Washington hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Washington sits in the top 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 Washington looks the way it does
Turnout in Washington sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby States
- Oregon D+14
- Idaho R+34
- Montana R+20
- Nevada D+5
- Utah R+19
- Wyoming R+41
- California D+20
- Colorado D+12
- North Dakota R+30
- Arizona Even
States with Similar Populations
- Arizona Even
- Massachusetts D+26
- Tennessee R+23
- Indiana R+15
- Virginia D+10
- Maryland D+33
- Missouri R+14
- New Jersey D+11
- Wisconsin Even
- Colorado D+12
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.