Valparaiso, IN is the county seat of Porter County and is a bustling midwestern town full of character and characteristically Midwestern values. Politics in Valparaiso are largely influenced by the local government, which consists of an elected mayor as well as a seven-member city council. The city of Valparaiso is primarily Democratic leaning, with many local politicians having strong ties to the Democratic party. Local elections typically focus on issues such as economic development, job creation, public safety, and education. The current mayor is Jon Costas, who was first elected in 2004 and reelected in 2008. He is committed to providing quality services to his constituents and has made strides to attract businesses and create jobs throughout the area. Additionally, each member of the City Council brings their own set of interests and ideas to the discussion table when debating how best to move Valparaiso forward. Overall, Valparaiso is a great place for those looking for an exciting political atmosphere where they can make a difference in their community.
The political climate in Zip 46385 (Valparaiso, IN) is somewhat conservative.
Porter County, IN is leaning conservative. In Porter County, IN 45.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 51.9% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.3% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Porter county remained moderately Republican, 51.9% to 45.8%.
Porter county voted Republican in four of the six previous Presidential elections (2008 and 2012 went Democratic).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 46385 (Valparaiso, IN) is somewhat conservative.
Valparaiso, Indiana is somewhat conservative.
Porter County, Indiana is leaning conservative.
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metro Area is very liberal.
Indiana is somewhat conservative.
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.
Valparaiso, Indiana: r r d d 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 three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in zip 46385 (Valparaiso)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,003 contributions totaling $186,007 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $185 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 496 contributions totaling $104,377 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $210 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)