Gaines County is a Republican stronghold. About 15% of voters here vote Democratic and 85% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Gaines County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gaines County, ~9% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gaines County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Gaines County is the most Republican-leaning.
Gaines County runs about 56 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Gaines County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+85) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+48), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Gaines 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 Gaines County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in Gaines County hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Texas average of 26%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in Gaines County are family households, in the top fraction of counties.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Gaines County, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Gaines County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Gaines County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 47%, about 6 points below the Texas average of 54%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Yoakum County, TX R+59
- Andrews County, TX R+62
- Lea County, NM R+50
- Terry County, TX R+49
- Dawson County, TX R+47
- Lynn County, TX R+61
- Hockley County, TX R+63
- Midland County, TX R+48
- Martin County, TX R+68
- Ector County, TX R+42
Counties with Similar Populations
- Stutsman County, ND R+34
- Minidoka County, ID R+58
- Dakota County, NE R+15
- Scott County, VA R+70
- Lampasas County, TX R+55
- Grenada County, MS R+15
- McDuffie County, GA R+14
- Hertford County, NC D+25
- Letcher County, KY R+65
- Hockley County, TX R+63
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.