Kittson County leans heavily Republican by roughly 34 points: about 33% of voters vote Democratic and 67% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Kittson County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kittson County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kittson County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Kittson County is the least Republican-leaning.
Kittson County runs about 38 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Kittson County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Kittson County. The east side is the most Republican-leaning (R+45) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 22 points.
Why Kittson 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 Kittson County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Kittson County sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 93% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 7 points above the Minnesota average of 86%. Kittson County runs against the grain of Minnesota, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Kittson County, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Kittson County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Kittson County 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 67%, about 7 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 83% of households in Kittson County own their home, above 89% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Kittson County have completed high school, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Marshall County, MN R+53
- Pembina County, ND R+51
- Walsh County, ND R+46
- Roseau County, MN R+45
- Pennington County, MN R+32
- Grand Forks County, ND R+8
- Red Lake County, MN R+47
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Cavalier County, ND R+48
- Nelson County, ND R+43
Counties with Similar Populations
- Bath County, VA R+54
- Phillips County, MT R+52
- Holt County, MO R+61
- Mora County, NM D+18
- Barber County, KS R+69
- Hidalgo County, NM R+22
- Grant County, OK R+70
- Menominee County, WI D+59
- Tensas Parish, LA R+4
- Custer County, ID R+52
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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.