These States Have the Most Registered Democrats

Politics can be a nebulous game. Thanks to the United States' two-party system, the Democrats and Republicans are in a constant war over voters. As a rule, most states running down the West and East coasts tend historically to favor Democrats. Many states develop a reputation as favoring one party over another. That said, complicated processes like gerrymandering and redistricting result in a different picture of voter turnout across the country.

While these parties may offer voters different benefits, the patchwork of counties in each state can tell a different story. Some states, like Oregon and Texas, maintain a reputation for voting Republican. When you look at the individual counties within each state, however, the data suggests that Democrats maintain subtle but pervasive holds on surprisingly diverse regions. Other states like Florida have big Republican bases but feature enough Democratic contingents to swing the state depending on the year. As the 2024 election approaches, let's take a look at the states with the most registered Democrats. The data may surprise you. (For specific politicians, meet the most popular Democrats in the U.S.)

To compile a list of states that have the most registered Democrat voters, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of statistical, political, and research publications including Pewresearch.org, The Messina Group, and CNN.com. Next, we scoured the data and listed the states with the most registered Democrats and expressed the concentration of said voters within different regions. After that, we confirmed aspects of our research using sites like Worldpopulationreview.com, NYTimes.com, and USAFacts.org.

Though it hardly qualifies as a state, the District of Columbia has the most registered Democrats. Democrat affiliation in D.C. makes up 73% of the registered voters, which translates to 383,276 people. While Republican voters have slowly increased their numbers there, Democrats have historically held a supreme advantage. The D.C. area is too small to account for zones of concentrated voting numbers. However, 92% of votes in the 2020 Presidential Election were cast for the Democratic candidate.

Another state with a large Democratic affiliation is Vermont. According to the PEW Research Center, 57% of voters are affiliated with the Democratic Party. The state claims 524,649 people in its eligible voting population, with an impressive 74% turnout by eligible voters in the 2020 election. Sixty-six percent of the state's votes went to the Democratic Party, while 31% went to the Republican Party. Due to Vermont's voting laws, the voters are not asked to indicate their political affiliation or the state does not publically report its totals.

Much like Vermont, New York state features a large contingent of voters affiliated with the Democratic Party. It claims 6,459,542 registered Democratic voters, with the percentage of Independents narrowly edging out Republican voters. Of its 13,930,369 eligible voters, 64% turned out for the 2020 election. Historically, New York has favored Democrats, with the percentages of respective registered voters for each party staying more or less the same in recent history.

As the home state of President Joe Biden, Delaware features a large percentage of Democrat-affiliated voters. A total of 760,788 people are registered as Democrats. Of its 774,746 registered voters, 71% of them turned out for the 2020 election. While much of the state voted Republican, the highly populated areas centered around its larger cities like Dover and Wilmington gave the state a larger margin of Democratic voters. Historically, Delaware has maintained a mostly Democratic lean, though Republicans have gained a slight advantage over Independent voters in recent years.

Though it's one of the more recent additions to the United States, Hawaii features a 51% lean toward the Democratic Party. Of its 1,050,763 eligible voters, 57% of them turned out for the 2020 election. In turn, 64% of Hawaiian voters pledged for the Democrats, compared to the 34% that voted Republican. In terms of voter concentration, Hawaii is almost entirely blue, save for the small island off the coast of Kauai, which voted entirely Republican. Small but weaker zones on the big island also voted primarily Republican. Much like Vermont, however, Hawaii does not ask voters to indicate their political affiliation nor does the state publically report its totals.

Of the Eastern seaboard states, Connecticut features a large Democrat contingent, with 50% of voters affiliated with the Democratic party. Of its 2,656,634 eligible voters, an impressive 71% turned out for the 2020 election. Fifty-nine percent of its 2020 presidential vote went to Democrats, compared to 39% of votes that went Republican. While much of the state votes blue, zones around the cities of Waterbury, the municipality of Torrington, and counties circumscribing the town of Norwich feature a stronger Republican voting base. Despite its party percentages staying roughly the same over time, Connecticut actually features a larger Independent voting base than Democrats.

Another Eastern seaboard state that claims a large number of Democratic voters is Maryland, with 55% of its registered voters affiliated with the Democratic Party. Of its 4,396,788 eligible voters, 71% voted in the 2020 election. In turn, 65% of them voted Democrat while 32% of them voted Republican. As evidenced by a detailed voting map by The New York Times, smaller counties along the state's border skew in favor of Republicans. Due to the heavily concentrated Democratic turnout in its largest city Baltimore, however, as well as the spillover from Democrat-affiliated Washington D.C., the state usually goes blue.

There's a pattern here, especially with Eastern seaboard states, and Massachusetts is no exception. Fifty-six percent of its population leans Democrat. Of its 5,155,024 eligible voters, 72% turned out for the 2020 election. In turn, 66% of its presidential vote went to the Democrats while 32% went to Republicans. Though Massachusetts features some Republican zones, particularly around Springfield, most of the state votes Democrat. While Massachusetts features a lot of Democratic voters with 1,434,356, the state favors Independents by a large margin. Historically, the state has slowly lost Democratic-affiliated voters while gaining Independents in equal measure.

Of New Jersey's 6,475,638 registrants, 2,531,848 are registered Democrats. Much like Massachusetts, however, Independents hold a considerable percentage with 2,338,648 registrants. Of its 6,459,151 eligible voters, 75% of them turned out for the 2020 election. This gave 57% of the vote to Democrats and 41% to Republicans. While New Jersey favors Democrats, much of the state, particularly its southern regions, vote Republican. That said, larger cities like Atlantic City and Trenton skew the numbers in the Democrat's favor. Historically, New Jersey featured a slightly stronger Independent voting block. In recent years, however, the numbers have shown a slight downturn for Independents and a slight gain for Democrats.

More than any state, California features the largest contingent of Democratic voters due to its large population. Of its 21,941,212 registered voters, 10,261,984 are registered Democrats. Sixty-eight percent of its eligible voters turned out in the 2020 election, which resulted in 64% voting Democrat and 34% voting Republican. In terms of voter zones, California's counties along the Nevada border as well as its counties along the Pacific Ocean vote Democrat, whereas much of the Central Valley votes Republican. Due to the high population of its coastal zones, however, the state almost always goes blue. Historically, Democrats count California as one of its surefire states. That said, Independents and Republican percentages have gone back and forth for second place.

According to data from the PEW Research Center, Illinois features a 48% lean toward the Democratic Party. Of its 9,018,008 eligible voters, 67% turned out for the 2020 election. This resulted in 57% of its votes going to the Democrats and 41% going to the Republicans. Illinois, however, is another state that does not publically report its voting totals or ask its voters to state their party affiliation. Judging by its voter concentration map, however, almost all of the state votes Republican. Due to the outsized population of Chicago and its surrounding areas, however, the state often tends blue year over year.

Of Oregon's 2,971,604 registered voters, 1,011,945 of them are registered Democrats. During the 2020 election, 75% of its eligible voters turned out to vote. This resulted in Democrats taking 57% of the votes and Republicans taking 40% of the votes. While Oregon features a relatively strong Democratic contingent, Independents edge them out slightly. As per voter concentration maps, the entire eastern side of Oregon features heavy Republican turnout. As the counties lead closer to the coast, however, more and more counties pop up as Democrat, particularly around the Portland metropolitan area.(For older folks' favorite politicians, meet the most popular Democrats among baby boomers.)

New Mexico tends toward the Democratic Party. The state features 1,560,752 people eligible to vote and 61% of them turned out for the 2020 election. This resulted in Democrats taking 54% of the votes and 44% of the votes going to the Republicans. Furthermore, the state features 600,453 registered Democrats compared to its 421,422 registered Republicans. As per the map, the state's party affiliations are roughly split on a horizontal line. The top half, which features cities like Santa Fe and Albuquerque, tends blue while the bottom half of the state tends red. Historically, the party affiliations percentages have rarely deviated.

Of Pennsylvania's 8,766,097 registered voters, 4,003,126 are registered Democrats. Seventy-one percent of eligible voters turned out for the 2020 election. This gave Democrats a narrow victory with 50% compared to the Republican's 49%. The eastern part of the state around major cities like Philadephia almost always votes Democrat. The entire rest of the state, particularly eastern counties, favor Republicans. Historically, Democrats have relied on strong affiliation in Pennsylvania. In recent years, however, Republicans have gained numbers. For this reason, Pennsylvania is considered a swing state and its voting concentration may have a noticeable influence on the 2024 presidential election.

Not to be confused with Washington D.C., Washington state features a relatively strong Democrat margin with 44% of voters tending in that direction. Unfortunately, Washington does not register voters along party lines or require voters to publically state their affiliations. That said, there are some insights to be gleaned from the state's voter concentration map. As expected, areas around major cities like Seattle heavily favor the Democratic Party. Simultaneously, Republican-affiliated counties range from the far eastern part of the state, down through the middle until they reach the coast around the cities of Astoria and Aberdeen.

Though the state of Louisiana sits in the Deep South and often tends Republican, it has a strong record of Democratic affiliation. Of its 3,336,267 eligible voters, 64% of them turned out to vote in the 2020 election. This resulted in a win for Republicans with 58% of the vote compared to the Democrat's 40%. Unfortunately, The New York Times voter map does not include voting data for the state of Louisiana. That said, more generalized maps suggest the state often votes Republican but has enough Democratic voters that the state sometimes goes back and forth. Historically, Louisiana has had a strong Democratic voting contingent. In recent years, however, Republicans are making slight but noticeable gains.

Compared to other states on this list, Florida has a much more even distribution of Republican and Democratic voters. Of the 14,395,281 people registered to vote, 4,963,722 are registered Democrats while 5,233,366 are registered Republicans. Seventy-two percent of the state's eligible voters turned out for the 2020 election, with Republicans narrowly beating Democrats 51% to 48%. As expected, the majority of Florida's counties vote Republican while major population areas like Miami and Palm Beach County tend toward the Democrats. Historically, Florida's Democrat and Republican voters are neck and neck, though Democrat percentages have trended downward to line up with Republican percentages in recent years. As such, Florida will likely be a swing state in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Due to its placement on the eastern side of the United States, it should come as no surprise that Maine tends toward Democrats. 395,893 of its voters are registered Democrats and 313,866 are registered Republicans. Seventy-six percent of its eligible voters turned out for the 2020 election, resulting in a Democrat win with 53% of the votes compared to the Republican's 44% of the votes. As per the voter map, the northern part of the state votes red while the lower section, which features major cities like Portland and Augusta, votes blue. Historically, voter percentages are pretty close, though Democrats have taken a slight advantage over both Independents and Republicans in recent years.

Michigan tends to favor Democrats, but just barely. Of the 7,627,434 people registered to vote in the state, 74% of them turned out for the 2020 election. This resulted in 51% of the votes going to Democrats and 48% going to Republicans. As per The New York Times voter map, the majority of the smaller counties in Michigan vote Republican. That said, the state edges into Democrat territory overall thanks to heavily concentrated Democratic voters clustered around major cities like Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor. Due to the close percentages of voters in each party, Michigan is considered a swing state. Though Joe Biden won the state overall in 2020, the 2024 election might result in better odds for the Republicans.

Though it sits firmly in the Midwest, Minnesota tends toward Democratic Party favor. Of its 4,259,705 eligible voters, an impressive 80% turned out to vote in the 2020 election. In turn, the Democrats won 52% of the vote compared to the Republican's 45%. According to the voter concentration map, most of the state votes Republican. Thanks to major cities like Minneapolis, and anomalous enclaves like Beltrami County, the state ceded to the Democrats in the last election. Like other states on this list, Minnesota does not publically announce party affiliations or require its voters to express their party affiliations.

Compared to other states on this list, Nevada is a special case. Of its 2,246,393 voters, 65% of them turned out to vote in the 2020 presidential election. This resulted in a slight win for Democrats with 50% of the votes compared to the Republican's 48%. According to the voter concentration map, Nevada has a surprisingly balanced number of counties voting for either party. The more rural, less populated counties tended towards the Republicans while the more populated areas tended toward the Democrats. Surprisingly, areas around the city of Reno produced far more Democratic voters than larger population areas like Las Vegas. While Joe Biden won Nevada in the 2020 presidential election, due to its close voter turnout in said race, Nevada will likely be a swing state in the upcoming 2024 election.

New Hampshire has 1,121,461 eligible voters and 75% of them turned out to vote in the 2020 election. This resulted in 53% of the votes for Democrats and 45% of the votes for Republicans. As per the voter concentration map, however, New Hampshire exhibits much more Democratic favor than Republican. While rural counties voted Republican, the concentration of red voters was negligible compared to other states. The Democrat win likely came from populated areas around cities like Manchester and Concord. It's hard to say if New Hampshire will become a swing state in the upcoming election, though it's likely given that four previous elections were won by less than 3 points.

Of Rhode Island's 823,712 eligible voters, 65% turned out to vote in the 2020 election. This resulted in 59% of the votes going to the Democrats and 39% going to the Republicans. According to The New York Times voter concentration map, the state splits vertically on party lines. The western half of the state, with counties like West Greenwich and Glocester, voted Republican. The eastern half of the state, including more southwestern coastal regions like South Kingston, however, provided a Democratic advantage. Historically, Independents have slightly dominated voting turnout in Rhode Island. That said, the Democrats and Independents vie for the top spot year after year. More recent data suggests Independents maintain a slight raise in percentages over Democrats.

While most of the other states feature heavy Republican turnout, Missouri does feature a surprising number of Democratic Party voters. Of its 4,652,414 eligible voting population, 66% turned out to vote in 2020. This gave the Republicans the win with 57% of the vote compared to the Democrat's 41% of the vote. While The New York Times voter concentration map provides little data regarding the less populated counties in Missouri, it suggests a high concentration of Democratic voters in and around St. Louis and Kansas City. At the same time, the few counties provided for in the middle of the state suggest heavy Republican turnout. Missouri features a surprising number of Democrats given its history, but it's likely the state will cede in Republican favor during the 2024 presidential election.

Texas maintains a reputation as a strongly Republican state, but the numbers suggest a slightly different story. Of the state's 20,021,307 eligible voters, 60% of them turned out for the 2020 election. In turn, 52% of the votes went to the Republicans while 47% of the votes went to Democrats. At the same time, The New York Times voter concentration map tells an interesting story. Most of the state, especially northern, less populated counties, vote strongly Republican. Heavily populated areas like Dallas, Austin, and Houston provide a surprising number of Democrat Party votes. Furthermore, the counties along the Mexico border in large part favor the Democrats. Though it's unlikely Texas will swing Democrat any time soon, the data illustrates that political reputation can be deceiving.(For the younger generation's favorite politicians, discover the most popular Democrats among millennials.)