La Fayette leans heavily Republican by roughly 44 points: about 28% of voters vote Democratic and 72% Republican.
About 93% of adults in La Fayette typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in La Fayette, ~26% vote Democratic, ~67% Republican, and ~7% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How La Fayette compares
Among cities within 25 miles, La Fayette leans more Republican than 40 of 57 neighbors.
La Fayette runs about 54 points more Republican than Illinois as a whole. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while La Fayette is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within La Fayette. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+36), a spread of about 18 points.
Why La Fayette 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 La Fayette, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
La Fayette votes against the grain of Illinois. Illinois leans Democratic overall, while La Fayette runs about 54 points more Republican.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as La Fayette, IL does.
Why turnout in La Fayette looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in La Fayette have completed high school, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Galva, IL R+30
- Toulon, IL R+42
- West Jersey, IL R+54
- Victoria, IL R+38
- Bishop Hill, IL R+33
- Altona, IL R+38
- Kewanee, IL R+14
- Wyoming, IL R+46
- Laura, IL R+42
- Williamsfield, IL R+43
Cities with Similar Populations
- King Ferry, NY R+20
- Petrolia, KS R+56
- North Pole, NY D+12
- Glenview, KY R+5
- Frederika, IA R+45
- Cochrane, WI R+32
- Vidette, GA Even
- Ransom, IL R+42
- Elliott, IA R+49
- New Hope, GA R+46
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Illinois 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.