Clinton County is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Clinton County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Clinton County, ~10% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Clinton County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Clinton County leans more Republican than 18 of 19 neighbors.
Clinton County runs about 41 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Clinton 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 Clinton County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Clinton County, about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Clinton County sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 10%, below 82% of counties).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Clinton County, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Clinton County looks the way it does
Turnout in Clinton County sits close to the national pattern. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pickett County, TN R+70
- Cumberland County, KY R+67
- Wayne County, KY R+65
- Russell County, KY R+67
- Clay County, TN R+67
- Fentress County, TN R+68
- Overton County, TN R+67
- Adair County, KY R+62
- Monroe County, KY R+69
- Metcalfe County, KY R+65
Counties with Similar Populations
- St. Clair County, MO R+64
- Jasper County, IL R+61
- Somervell County, TX R+67
- Johnson County, GA R+39
- Todd County, SD D+57
- Nowata County, OK R+61
- Terrell County, GA D+18
- Forest County, WI R+33
- Jones County, NC R+24
- Pratt County, KS R+53
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky State Board of 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.