Clinton, Iowa — Presidential Election Results

Clinton, Iowa has voted Democratic in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections on record (2000–2024). It most recently flipped to Republican in 2016. In 2024, it was 5.7 pts more Rep. than Iowa overall.

Jump to year: 2000 · 2004 · 2008 · 2012 · 2016 · 2020 · 2024

Full Election History, 2000–2024

Year Winner Party Votes Vote Share Margin Total Votes Cast Swing Vs. Iowa
2000 Al Gore Democratic 12,276 55.3% 13.7 pts (3,047 votes) 22,180 — 13.8 pts more Dem.
2004 John Kerry Democratic 13,813 56.0% 12.7 pts (3,147 votes) 24,684 -1.3 pts 13.5 pts more Dem.
2008 Barack Obama Democratic 15,018 60.8% 23.0 pts (5,694 votes) 24,719 +10.5 pts 13.7 pts more Dem.
2012 Barack Obama Democratic 15,141 60.6% 22.8 pts (5,709 votes) 25,000 -0.2 pts 17.3 pts more Dem.
2016 Donald Trump Republican 11,276 48.9% 5.1 pts (1,181 votes) 23,067 -28.8 pts 4.6 pts more Dem.
2020 Donald J Trump Republican 13,410 54.3% 10.5 pts (2,598 votes) 24,687 -5.2 pts 2.1 pts more Rep.
2024 Donald J Trump Republican 13,964 58.5% 18.8 pts (4,492 votes) 23,878 -8.4 pts 5.7 pts more Rep.

Population Context

Total Census Bureau population estimate for the county that year, and recorded votes as a share of that total population. This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Year County Population Votes Cast (% of Population)
2000 50,120 44.3% of population
2004 49,498 49.9% of population
2008 49,303 50.1% of population
2012 48,701 51.3% of population
2016 47,248 48.8% of population
2020 46,432 53.2% of population
2024 46,015 51.9% of population

Trend

Between 2000 and 2024, the two-party presidential margin in Clinton shifted 33.3 points toward the Republican candidate, based on recorded county returns. This reflects the vote totals in this dataset only; no claim is made here about the causes of that shift.

Margin Over Time

Democratic candidate's margin (percentage points, two-party vote share). Positive values favor the Democratic candidate; negative values favor the Republican candidate.

2000: D+14.2 pts 2004: D+12.9 pts 2008: D+23.4 pts 2012: D+23.2 pts 2016: R+5.5 pts 2020: R+10.7 pts 2024: R+19.2 pts 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Bellwether Status

Clinton has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Iowa's own statewide winner in 6 of 7 (86%). Compare every county on the bellwether counties page.

Related Pages

Other Iowa Counties

Frequently Asked Questions

How has Clinton voted in presidential elections since 2000?

Since 2000, Clinton has voted Democratic in 4 of 7 recorded presidential elections and Republican in 3 of 7, based on county-level returns through 2024.

What was the closest presidential election in Clinton?

Clinton's closest recorded margin was in 2016, when Donald Trump (Republican) won by 5.5 points (1,181 votes) out of 23,067 total votes cast.

Has Clinton ever flipped between parties?

Yes. Clinton changed which party won the county in: 2016, based on the 2000-2024 record on this page.

What is the largest presidential election margin recorded in Clinton?

The widest margin on record for Clinton was in 2008, when Barack Obama (Democratic) won by 23.4 points.

How many votes were cast in Clinton relative to its population?

In 2024, 23,878 votes were recorded in Clinton against a total population of 46,015 (51.9% of the total population). This is a population-based figure, not a turnout rate against eligible or registered voters, which this site does not calculate.

Is Clinton a presidential bellwether county?

Clinton has matched the national popular winner in 4 of the last 7 presidential elections (57%), and Iowa's own statewide winner in 6 of 7 (86%).