Most Liberal Cities in the US
Go Back To Previous PageSome U.S. cities lean left, and some lean hard left—this list is about the latter. We looked at cities with the strongest Democratic voting patterns in the 2020 presidential election, cross-checked against 2024 results where available, and included each city’s current mayor and party.
A methodology note upfront: vote-share percentages below are at the city level wherever that data was independently confirmable; a few (marked below) are only available at the county level, which we’ve labeled explicitly rather than presenting county data as if it were city-specific.
Where 2024 presidential data was available, we’ve included it alongside 2020 to show the trend — several major cities shifted meaningfully to the right between the two elections, which is worth noting even in a list of the most Democratic-leaning cities in the country.
1. Berkeley
Berkeley, just north of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area, posted the highest Democratic vote share of any U.S. city with a population over 100,000 in the 2020 election: 93.3% for Biden versus 4.0% for Trump. It was a hub of 1960s counterculture and still hosts UC Berkeley, one of the most politically active college campuses anywhere.
Berkeley’s current mayor is Adena Ishii, a Democrat, who took office in December 2024.
2. Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., is the nation’s capital, technically a district rather than a state, with about 670,000 residents. In 2020, 92% of D.C. voters chose the Democratic candidate versus 5% for the Republican.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, has held office since 2015 but is not seeking reelection; D.C.’s next mayoral election is set for November 2026.
3. San Francisco
San Francisco earned the term “San Francisco values” from Republican critics looking to needle the city’s openly liberal culture. In 2020, 85.6% of voters chose the Democratic candidate; that share dropped to 79.7% in 2024 (versus 16.8% for the Republican candidate) — a roughly 6-point shift, one of several major cities that moved in that direction between the two elections.
San Francisco’s current mayor, Daniel Lurie (in office since January 2025), is a Democrat who has described himself as a moderate.
4. Boston
Boston, on the East Coast in Massachusetts, posted roughly 82.5% for the Democratic candidate in 2020 (city-specific figure; the broader county that includes several other municipalities runs lower). Mayor Michelle Wu, a Democrat, is in her second term after running unopposed in November 2025.
5. Seattle
Seattle posted roughly 90% for the Democratic candidate in 2020, city-specific (the broader King County figure runs lower, around 77%). Seattle’s mayor changed at the start of this year: Katie Wilson, a Democrat, took office on January 1, 2026, after defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell.
6. Denver
Denver, a coterminous city and county (a single jurisdiction, which makes its vote share unusually reliable at the city level), posted 82.72% for the Democratic candidate in 2020. Mayor Mike Johnston, a Democrat, has held office since July 2023.
7. Chicago
Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan, posted roughly 81- 82% for the Democratic candidate in 2020 (based on unofficial ward-level results); that dropped to roughly 77% in 2024, a shift of about 5 points. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, has held office since 2023.
8. Philadelphia
Philadelphia, near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border, posted 81% for the Democratic candidate in 2020 (city-specific), dropping to about 78% in 2024 — a roughly 3-point shift. Mayor Cherelle Parker, a Democrat, has held office since January 2024.
9. New York City
New York City, the largest city in this ranking by a wide margin, posted 76% for the Democratic candidate in 2020, dropping to 67.7% in 2024 (versus 30.45% for the Republican candidate) — roughly an 8-point shift, the largest of any city on this list for which we could confirm both election years.
NYC’s mayor changed at the start of this year as well: Zohran Mamdani took office on January 1, 2026, succeeding Eric Adams. Mamdani is a Democrat and also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
10. Cambridge
Cambridge, across the river from Boston in Middlesex County, has a population of 118,403 — young (median age 29.6), affluent (median household income $109,358), and shaped almost entirely by Harvard and MIT.
The two universities draw a steady stream of students, researchers, and tech transplants, which helps explain the city’s long-running nickname: “The People’s Republic of Cambridge.”
A precise, current citywide vote-share figure wasn’t independently confirmable for this list (Cambridge’s own election commission publishes the authoritative number; the statewide Massachusetts figure was 66% Democratic in 2020, and neighboring Boston came in at 82.5%, but neither substitutes for Cambridge’s own count). Cambridge’s mayor is chosen by the City Council rather than directly elected; Sumbul Siddiqui holds the position as of January 2026.
11. Los Angeles
Los Angeles is proof that liberal cities don’t have to be small, with a population of about 3.85 million. A city-specific vote-share figure wasn’t independently confirmable; Los Angeles County as a whole posted 71% for the Democratic candidate in 2020, dropping to 64% in 2024 — a roughly 7-point shift — though the county includes many other cities and isn’t the same as an LA-proper figure.
Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, was in a runoff for a second term as of this writing.
12. Oakland
Oakland, just south of Berkeley in Alameda County, has a population of approximately 440,000. A city-specific figure wasn’t independently confirmable; Alameda County as a whole posted 80.2% for the Democratic candidate in 2020. Mayor Barbara Lee, a Democrat, has held office since an April 2025 special election and is running for a full term in 2026.
13. Boulder
Boulder, in northern Colorado, has about 104,000 residents. A city-specific vote-share figure wasn’t independently confirmable; Boulder County as a whole posted roughly 80.9% for the Democratic candidate in 2020. Mayor Aaron Brockett, a Democrat, has held office since November 2021 and is seeking reelection in November 2026.
14. Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan’s fifth-largest city with a population of 123,851, posted 72.44% for the Democratic candidate in 2020 (citywide) — a liberal island in a swing state, a sharp contrast to the more conservative rural areas of Western and Northern Michigan.
Ann Arbor’s mayoral race is mid-transition as of this writing: sitting mayor Christopher Taylor lost the Democratic primary in August 2026 to Yousef Rabhi, a Democratic Socialist. The general election is in November 2026; Taylor remains mayor until then.
15. Austin
Austin defies the stereotype of the conservative South — a liberal outlier in south-central Texas. A city-specific vote-share figure wasn’t independently confirmable; Travis County as a whole posted roughly 71-72% for the Democratic candidate in 2020. Mayor Kirk Watson, a Democrat, has held office since 2022 and was reelected in 2024.
Vote Share and Mayors at a Glance
| City | 2020 Dem % | 2024 Dem % | Current Mayor | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 93.3% | — | Adena Ishii | Democrat |
| Washington, D.C. | 92% | — | Muriel Bowser | Democrat |
| San Francisco | 85.6% | 79.7% | Daniel Lurie | Democrat |
| Boston | 82.5% | — | Michelle Wu | Democrat |
| Seattle | 90% | — | Katie Wilson | Democrat |
| Denver | 82.72% | — | Mike Johnston | Democrat |
| Chicago | 81–82% | ~77% | Brandon Johnson | Democrat |
| Philadelphia | 81% | ~78% | Cherelle Parker | Democrat |
| New York City | 76% | 67.7% | Zohran Mamdani | Democrat |
| Ann Arbor | 72.44% | — | Christopher Taylor* | Democrat |
| Los Angeles (county) | 71% | 64% | Karen Bass | Democrat |
| Austin (county) | 71–72% | — | Kirk Watson | Democrat |
| Oakland (county) | 80.2% | — | Barbara Lee | Democrat |
| Boulder (county) | 80.9% | — | Aaron Brockett | Democrat |
Rows marked “(county)” reflect county-level vote share where a city-specific figure wasn’t independently confirmable — see each section above for detail. *Ann Arbor’s mayor as of publication; a general election is pending in November 2026.
Methodology
The vote-share figures above come from city and county election authorities and have been cross-checked against news reporting on the 2020 and, where available, 2024 presidential elections.
Current mayors and their party affiliations were verified as of this writing; several have changed in the past year (New York City and Seattle both had new mayors on January 1, 2026, and Ann Arbor’s race is still in progress), so expect this list to need periodic updates. For the opposite end of the political spectrum, see our guide to the most libertarian states in America.
Georges has been working in Wall Street for the last 16 years trading derivatives with hedge funds. He has been an active real estate investor for over a decade. Georges graduated from HEC Business School in Paris and holds a master in Finance from ESADE Barcelona.
