Belfast, Maine is a mid-sized coastal city that has a rich history of politics and government. Located in the heart of Waldo County, Belfast has long been known as a blue-collar community with strong political leanings. Today, Belfast is home to many local and state representatives who are committed to protecting the environment and preserving the town鈥檚 unique heritage. The city also implements robust tax laws to ensure financial stability for its residents and businesses alike. Local leaders have worked hard to ensure that everyone in Belfast feels represented on issues like healthcare, education, jobs, and the environment. In 2018, Belfast elected two Democratic representatives along with three independent candidates to serve in their local government offices. This election put forward an agenda that focused on creating viable economic opportunities for all citizens while continuing to protect the area鈥檚 natural resources. The election results showed that Belfast's population was eager for change and ready to take responsibility for themselves and their town鈥檚 future.
The political climate in Belfast, ME is leaning conservative.
Waldo County, ME is leaning liberal. In Waldo County, ME 50.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 46.0% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.2% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Waldo county remained Democratic, 50.8% to 46.0%.
Waldo county voted Democratic in the last five Presidential elections, after voting Republican in 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Belfast, ME is leaning conservative.
Waldo County, Maine is leaning liberal.
Maine is somewhat liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Belfast, Maine: r d D D d d
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Belfast, ME
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,977 contributions totaling $136,079 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $69 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 86 contributions totaling $13,768 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $160 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)