Red Lake County leans heavily Republican by roughly 46 points: about 27% of voters vote Democratic and 73% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Red Lake County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Red Lake County, ~15% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Red Lake County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Red Lake County leans more Republican than 6 of 7 neighbors.
Red Lake County runs about 51 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Red Lake County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Red Lake County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+54) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+39), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Red Lake 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 Red Lake County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Red Lake County votes against the grain of Minnesota. Minnesota leans Democratic overall, while Red Lake County runs about 51 points more Republican. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Red Lake County fits that profile on both counts.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; Red Lake County, MN sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Red Lake County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Red Lake 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 64%, above 75% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Pennington County, MN R+32
- Polk County, MN R+31
- Marshall County, MN R+53
- Clearwater County, MN R+46
- Mahnomen County, MN R+16
- Norman County, MN R+27
- Grand Forks County, ND R+8
- Traill County, ND R+37
- Beltrami County, MN R+4
- Kittson County, MN R+34
Counties with Similar Populations
- Columbia County, WA R+51
- Mason County, TX R+56
- Corson County, SD D+38
- Sioux County, ND D+54
- Chase County, NE R+71
- Wells County, ND R+58
- Kearny County, KS R+71
- Edmunds County, SD R+60
- Pierce County, ND R+47
- Gregory County, SD R+65
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.