The politics of Utica, NY are shaped by the city's diverse population and economic development. As the tenth largest city in New York State, Utica has seen its economy evolve over the years from its traditional manufacturing base to a more diverse mix of services and industry. This has led to an increase in population growth, with many residents being drawn to the city for its strong job market and affordability. The local political landscape is also constantly shifting, with new candidates emerging each year as citizens seek to make their voices heard in deciding who will represent them at all levels of government. Recent elections have seen growing support for progressive candidates who are focused on issues such as job creation, education reform, and economic development. With a variety of perspectives represented in the city's political debates, Utica is sure to remain an important player in New York State’s future.
The political climate in Utica, NY is leaning conservative.
Oneida County, NY is somewhat conservative. In Oneida County, NY 41.2% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 56.7% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Oneida county remained very strongly Republican, 56.7% to 41.2%.
Oneida county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Utica, NY is leaning conservative.
Oneida County, New York is somewhat conservative.
Utica-Rome Metro Area is moderately conservative.
New York is moderately 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.
Utica, New York: r R r r R R
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 Utica, NY
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 2,394 contributions totaling $342,375 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $143 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 594 contributions totaling $234,130 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $394 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)