Dawson County leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Dawson County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dawson County, ~14% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dawson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Dawson County leans more Republican than 1 of 8 neighbors.
Dawson County runs about 33 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Dawson County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+81) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+36), a spread of about 45 points.
Why Dawson 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 Dawson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 14% of adults in Dawson County hold a bachelor's degree, about 11 points below the Texas average of 26%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Dawson County runs against that pattern.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Dawson County, TX does.
Why turnout in Dawson County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Dawson County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 13 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 74% of adults in Dawson County have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Borden County, TX R+93
- Lynn County, TX R+61
- Terry County, TX R+49
- Martin County, TX R+68
- Gaines County, TX R+70
- Howard County, TX R+50
- Andrews County, TX R+62
- Garza County, TX R+30
- Midland County, TX R+48
- Yoakum County, TX R+59
Counties with Similar Populations
- Poquoson City, VA R+38
- Franklin County, FL R+47
- Camp County, TX R+41
- Braxton County, WV R+57
- Telfair County, GA R+30
- Yalobusha County, MS R+19
- Towns County, GA R+53
- Goshen County, WY R+62
- Sanders County, MT R+54
- Pulaski County, IN R+54
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.