Lee County leans Republican by roughly 18 points: about 41% of voters vote Democratic and 59% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Lee County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lee County, ~30% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~27% 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 9 of 14 neighbors.
Lee County runs about 14 points more Republican than North Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Lee County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), 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.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 70% of households in Lee County are family households, above 78% of counties.
Non-English at home and voter turnout
Places with a low non-English-at-home share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lee County, NC sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Lee County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Lee County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Harnett County, NC R+21
- Chatham County, NC R+3
- Moore County, NC R+24
- Cumberland County, NC D+20
- Hoke County, NC D+7
- Wake County, NC D+28
- Orange County, NC D+48
- Durham County, NC D+59
- Montgomery County, NC R+34
- Randolph County, NC R+46
Counties with Similar Populations
- Pope County, AR R+47
- Georgetown County, SC R+17
- Darlington County, SC R+8
- Hall County, NE R+26
- Belknap County, NH R+8
- Garfield County, OK R+43
- Union County, OH R+30
- Knox County, OH R+48
- Warrick County, IN R+33
- Laurel County, KY R+63
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina 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.