The politics in 97304 Salem, OR are diverse and complex. This is due to the variety of different backgrounds and beliefs that make up the population of this area. There are many different political affiliations represented within the population, with no single party having a majority control over the city council or other local government offices. The local government is currently run by a mix of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who work together to make decisions that best serve the interests of their constituents. In recent years, many issues important to residents have been addressed by elected officials such as tax reform, public safety initiatives, economic growth measures, and environmental protection efforts. Additionally, many candidates for local office come from various backgrounds to provide a voice for their respective communities on issues ranging from education to housing. Overall, 97304 Salem has made great strides towards creating an inclusive environment where everyone's ideas can be heard and considered when making decisions about how best to serve the community.
The political climate in Zip 97304 (Salem, OR) is leaning conservative.
Polk County, OR is leaning conservative. In Polk County, OR 47.5% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 49.1% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 3.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Polk county remained narrowly Republican, 49.1% to 47.5%.
Polk county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Zip 97304 (Salem, OR) is leaning conservative.
Salem, Oregon is leaning conservative.
Polk County, Oregon is leaning conservative.
Salem Metro Area is leaning liberal.
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.
Salem, Oregon: 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 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 97304 (Salem)
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 4,583 contributions totaling $188,030 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $41 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 527 contributions totaling $103,221 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $196 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)