| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 961 | 2,213 | 3,209 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,214 | 2,335 | 3,654 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,317 | 2,164 | 3,554 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,449 | 2,134 | 3,652 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,680 | 2,262 | 4,041 | |
| 2004 | D | 2,206 | 2,011 | 4,249 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,122 | 1,793 | 3,979 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,566 | 1,146 | 3,968 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,954 | 1,482 | 4,837 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,167 | 2,089 | 4,269 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,313 | 2,690 | 5,017 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,139 | 1,650 | 4,890 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,567 | 1,134 | 4,701 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,368 | 3,218 | 4,614 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,457 | 802 | 4,805 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,229 | 1,852 | 4,102 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,960 | 873 | 4,210 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,010 | 1,361 | 4,426 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,417 | 869 | 3,297 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,426 | 213 | 2,187 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,710 | 162 | 1,877 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,939 | 123 | 2,066 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,571 | 65 | 1,637 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,985 | 125 | 2,117 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,487 | 447 | 1,934 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,002 | 453 | 1,555 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,146 | 540 | 1,757 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,159 | 314 | 1,473 | |
| 1912 | D | 772 | 137 | 1,157 | |
| 1908 | D | 906 | 316 | 1,259 | |
| 1904 | D | 569 | 188 | 774 | |
| 1900 | D | 842 | 153 | 1,007 | |
| 1896 | D | 976 | 185 | 1,166 | |
| 1892 | D | 824 | 183 | 1,007 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Bradley County's economy has long centered on forestry and wood products, and its rural, majority-white electorate has shifted decisively toward Republican presidential candidates over the past two decades, with 2024 margins exceeding 39 points.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Bradley County peaked at ninety-two points in 1936; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2008 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of fourteen points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Bradley County's median household income of $41,476 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Hempstead County and Lafayette County.