Clearwater County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Clearwater County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clearwater County, ~17% vote Democratic, ~47% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clearwater County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clearwater County leans more Republican than 3 of 4 neighbors.
Clearwater County runs about 51 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Clearwater County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Clearwater County. The north side is the most Republican-leaning (R+59) and the southwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+15), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Clearwater 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 Clearwater County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Clearwater County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Clearwater County runs about 51 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Clearwater County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 7%, below 90% of counties).
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Clearwater County, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Clearwater County looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 81% of households in Clearwater County own their home, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Beltrami County, MN R+4
- Mahnomen County, MN R+16
- Hubbard County, MN R+30
- Red Lake County, MN R+47
- Pennington County, MN R+32
- Becker County, MN R+33
- Norman County, MN R+27
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Cass County, MN R+30
- Wadena County, MN R+49
Counties with Similar Populations
- Mathews County, VA R+39
- Perry County, AL D+41
- Kiowa County, OK R+61
- Carroll County, MO R+61
- Ozark County, MO R+67
- Archer County, TX R+76
- Montgomery County, AR R+67
- Trimble County, KY R+57
- Jack County, TX R+74
- Wilkinson County, MS D+38
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota 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.