Columbus is a Republican stronghold. About 21% of voters here vote Democratic and 79% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Columbus typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Columbus, ~16% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Columbus compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Columbus leans more Republican than 17 of 51 neighbors.
Columbus runs about 28 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Columbus leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Columbus, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 2% of adults in Columbus hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points below the Kentucky average of 19%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Columbus sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 3%, below 93% of cities). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 76% of households in Columbus are family households, above 80% of cities.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Columbus, KY sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Columbus looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Columbus is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 60%, below 56% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Berkley, KY R+65
- Oakton, KY R+52
- Spring Hill, KY R+59
- Arlington, KY R+66
- Clinton, KY R+60
- Milburn, KY R+67
- Bardwell, KY R+67
- Moscow, KY R+65
- Kirbyton, KY R+65
Cities with Similar Populations
- Effingham, NH R+15
- Woodston, KS R+76
- Taintor, IA R+50
- Brassell, AL D+53
- Stanleytown, VA R+41
- Cornwall, ID R+45
- Norwich, ND R+70
- Craddockville, VA R+24
- St. Joseph, OR R+14
- Joplin, MT R+66
All Local Stats
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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.