Illinois 51st State Senate District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1932
54.7%
56,336 votes · D+10.7 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 50.3%
Republican
Donald Trump2024
71.3%
75,090 votes · R+44.4 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 70.6%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1936
58,061votes
50.3% of the vote · D+1.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 · 56,336 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2020
77,293votes
70.6% of the vote · R+43.3 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2024 · 75,090 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
John W. Davis1924
+5.3pts D vs U.S.
Place R+19.8 · U.S. R+25.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · James M. Cox, 1920 · +2.3 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2020
+47.8pts R vs U.S.
Place R+43.3 · U.S. D+4.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2016 · +44.8 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RChapin RoseState Senate · 51
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
R
22.8%20,483
77.2%69,490
89,973
2020
R
33.2%34,030
66.8%68,347
102,377
District 51 recorded a 44.4-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the state's most politically lopsided senate districts. Its population of roughly 217,000 reflects a predominantly rural or exurban constituency far removed from the Chicago metro's competitive corridors.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 10.7 points in 1932 and a Republican high of 44.4 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 44.4 points.
A population of 217,137, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $70,948 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 54 and State Senate District 55.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Illinois 51st State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17051/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Illinois 51st State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois 51st State Senate District voted Republican by 44.4 points (R+44.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 105,326 votes cast, 28,359 went Democratic and 75,090 went Republican.
When did Illinois 51st State Senate District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Illinois 51st State Senate District voted Democratic was 1936.
How many people live in Illinois 51st State Senate District?
Illinois 51st State Senate District has a population of 217,137 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois 51st State Senate District?
Median household income in Illinois 51st State Senate District is $70,948 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois 51st State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Illinois 51st State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 3 went Democratic and 35 went Republican.