Rush County is a Republican stronghold. About 22% of voters here vote Democratic and 78% Republican.
About 75% of adults in Rush County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rush County, ~16% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~25% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rush County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Rush County leans more Republican than 17 of 21 neighbors.
Rush County runs about 38 points more Republican than Indiana as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Rush County. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+67) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+54), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Rush 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 Rush County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Rush County, about 94% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 10 points below the U.S. average of 28%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 82% of residents in Rush County drive to work alone, above 84% of counties.
Never-married share and voter turnout
Places with a low never-married share tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rush County, IN sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rush County looks the way it does
Turnout in Rush 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
- Fayette County, IN R+54
- Shelby County, IN R+47
- Decatur County, IN R+54
- Henry County, IN R+47
- Hancock County, IN R+36
- Franklin County, IN R+63
- Union County, IN R+58
- Wayne County, IN R+31
- Johnson County, IN R+35
- Ripley County, IN R+59
Counties with Similar Populations
- Jackson County, AR R+48
- Robertson County, TX R+35
- Dixie County, FL R+67
- Bond County, IL R+39
- Giles County, VA R+58
- Taylor County, WV R+55
- Piscataquis County, ME R+34
- Union County, SD R+43
- Buckingham County, VA R+23
- Marion County, AR R+56
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Indiana 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.