Shaniko, Oregon, is a small town located in Wasco County in the high desert of the West. Though the population is quite small, Shaniko has an active political scene due to its unique history and location. The town was once a hub for trading activity between settlers and Native Americans and served as an important stop on the Old Oregon Trail. Today, city council meetings are attended by both local residents and visitors interested in learning about Shaniko’s past. City-wide decisions are discussed at these meetings that involve issues such as infrastructure improvements, recreational activities, public safety, and environmental protection. While there may not be any local political candidates running for office in Shaniko itself, the people of this quaint community still have their say in deciding what happens to their beloved city.
The political climate in Shaniko, OR is somewhat conservative.
Wasco County, OR is leaning conservative. In Wasco County, OR 46.7% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 49.8% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.5% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Wasco county remained Republican, 49.8% to 46.7%.
Wasco county voted Republican in five of the last six Presidential elections (2008 went Democratic).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Shaniko, OR is somewhat conservative.
Wasco County, Oregon is leaning conservative.
The Dalles Metro Area is leaning conservative.
Oregon 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.
Shaniko, Oregon: r r d 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 Shaniko, OR
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 0 contributions totaling $0 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $0 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 0 contributions totaling $0 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $0 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)