Columbus, Illinois is a small town located in Union County with a population of 3,000 people. It is an important part of the surrounding region, known for its local events and activities that bring the community together. Despite its small size, Columbus has a vibrant local political scene. The city has a Mayor and six Aldermen, who are elected every two years to represent the town’s residents and oversee municipal operations. The Mayor and Aldermen attend regular meetings to discuss key issues affecting the city and its people. Local elections often draw interest as candidates strive to make their voices heard through campaigning and public outreach. Residents have the opportunity to learn more about their potential representatives through debates, forums, or other events throughout election season. Although many issues remain unresolved in Columbus, it is clear that politics shapes life in this small rural town.
The political climate in Columbus, IL is very conservative.
Adams County, IL is very conservative. In Adams County, IL 25.7% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 72.2% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.0% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Adams county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 72.2% to 25.7%.
Adams county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Columbus, IL is very conservative.
Adams County, Illinois is very conservative.
Quincy Metro Area is very conservative.
Illinois is moderately liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Columbus, Illinois: R R R R R R
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Columbus, IL
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 338 contributions totaling $42,819 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $127 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 602 contributions totaling $353,008 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $586 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)