The section of Sullivan which is located in Crawford County is included in the St. Louis, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Republican Party controls politics at the local level in Crawford County.

Smith won a special election on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, to complete the remaining term of former Republican Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau.

Bill Clinton was the last Democratic presidential nominee to win Crawford County in 1996.

In the 2008 Missouri Presidential Primary, voters in Crawford County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) finished in second place in Crawford County with 32.66 percent.

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) won a decisive victory in Crawford County with 66.36 percent of the vote.

Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) received 30.07 percent of the vote from Crawford County Democrats.

Senator John Edwards (D-North Carolina) still received 2.61 percent of the vote in Crawford County.