Lee County leans Republican by roughly 28 points: about 36% of voters vote Democratic and 64% Republican.
About 81% of adults in Lee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lee County, ~29% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lee County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Lee County leans more Republican than 4 of 14 neighbors.
Lee County runs about 14 points more Republican than Iowa as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lee County. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+46) and the southeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+8), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Lee 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 Lee County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Lee County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 47%, far above the Iowa average of 16%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
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 Lee County, IA does.
Why turnout in Lee County looks the way it does
Turnout in Lee County sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Hancock County, IL R+45
- Clark County, MO R+60
- Des Moines County, IA R+8
- Henry County, IA R+31
- Henderson County, IL R+41
- Van Buren County, IA R+55
- Lewis County, MO R+59
- McDonough County, IL R+11
- Scotland County, MO R+64
- Adams County, IL R+40
Counties with Similar Populations
- Botetourt County, VA R+45
- Fulton County, IL R+31
- Lumpkin County, GA R+46
- Stark County, ND R+53
- Lincoln County, OK R+64
- Petersburg City, VA D+71
- Wexford County, MI R+33
- Marion County, IA R+34
- Accomack County, VA R+16
- Daviess County, IN R+59
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Iowa 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.