The Alpena, MI Metro Area is home to a vibrant political culture. Local elections are held every two years in November to determine the mayor and other members of the city council, as well as representatives for state and federal offices. On the national level, both Republican and Democratic candidates are represented in local races. Additionally, there are a number of non-partisan organizations that strive to bring attention to issues important to Alpena residents. From economic development to public education reform, these organizations seek to bring meaningful change through their advocacy efforts. As a result, Alpena is an active participant in the national political discourse and serves as an example of civic engagement at its best.
The political climate in Alpena Metro Area is strongly conservative.
In Alpena Metro Area 35.3% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 62.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.8% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, the Alpena metro area remained overwhelmingly Republican, 62.9% to 35.3%.
The Alpena metro area voted Republican in 2020, 2016, 2012 and 2004, and Democratic in 2008 and 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Alpena Metro Area is strongly conservative.
Michigan is leaning 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.
Alpena, Michigan: d 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 for the Democrat and I for the Independent. 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 four elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Alpena Metro Area
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 570 contributions totaling $35,035 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $61 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 124 contributions totaling $33,217 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $268 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)