Pope County leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 74% of adults in Pope County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pope County, ~23% vote Democratic, ~51% Republican, and ~26% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pope County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Pope County leans more Republican than 6 of 7 neighbors.
Pope County runs about 42 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Pope County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Pope County. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+48) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Pope 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 Pope County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Pope County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Pope County runs about 42 points more Republican.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Pope County, MN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Pope County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pope 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 84% of households in Pope County own their home, above 93% of counties. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Pope County have completed high school, above 95% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Douglas County, MN R+36
- Stevens County, MN R+37
- Swift County, MN R+35
- Grant County, MN R+36
- Kandiyohi County, MN R+29
- Todd County, MN R+50
- Chippewa County, MN R+36
- Big Stone County, MN R+33
- Stearns County, MN R+21
- Traverse County, MN R+42
Counties with Similar Populations
- Okfuskee County, OK R+53
- Jefferson Davis County, MS D+6
- Montgomery County, MO R+56
- Martin County, KY R+74
- Live Oak County, TX R+61
- Owen County, KY R+63
- Monroe County, KY R+69
- Wabash County, IL R+51
- Watonwan County, MN R+29
- Blanco County, TX R+53
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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.