Clay County leans Democratic by roughly 18 points: about 59% of voters vote Democratic and 41% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Clay County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clay County, ~41% vote Democratic, ~28% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clay County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clay County leans more Democratic than 13 of 14 neighbors.
Clay County runs about 40 points more Democratic than Mississippi as a whole. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Clay County is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Clay County. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+33) and the west side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 49 points.
Why Clay County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Clay County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Clay County votes against the grain of Mississippi. Mississippi leans Republican overall, while Clay County runs about 40 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in Clay County have never been married, above 81% of counties.
Housing overcrowding and voter turnout
Places with low overcrowding tend to turn out at a higher rate; Clay County, MS sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Clay County looks the way it does
Turnout in Clay County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Oktibbeha County, MS D+3
- Lowndes County, MS Even
- Monroe County, MS R+31
- Chickasaw County, MS R+12
- Webster County, MS R+60
- Lamar County, AL R+77
- Noxubee County, MS D+49
- Choctaw County, MS R+37
- Calhoun County, MS R+39
- Winston County, MS R+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Warren County, NC D+19
- Andrews County, TX R+62
- Poweshiek County, IA R+19
- Bethel Census Area, AK D+18
- Crawford County, IL R+50
- Concordia Parish, LA R+24
- Deaf Smith County, TX R+30
- Otero County, CO R+23
- Harrison County, KY R+51
- Randolph County, AR R+63
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Mississippi Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.