| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 2,864 | 1,364 | 4,240 | |
| 2020 | D | 2,985 | 1,159 | 4,165 | |
| 2016 | D | 2,701 | 843 | 3,588 | |
| 2012 | D | 3,308 | 769 | 4,090 | |
| 2008 | D | 3,535 | 795 | 4,344 | |
| 2004 | D | 2,715 | 822 | 3,555 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,414 | 662 | 3,086 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,135 | 438 | 2,646 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,461 | 506 | 3,157 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,947 | 621 | 2,589 | |
| 1984 | D | 2,109 | 644 | 2,753 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,205 | 573 | 2,809 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,117 | 651 | 2,768 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,502 | 1,595 | 3,097 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,165 | 381 | 3,650 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,074 | 925 | 1,999 | |
| 1960 | D | 780 | 286 | 1,066 | |
| 1956 | D | 860 | 354 | 1,214 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,245 | 267 | 1,512 | |
| 1948 | D | 441 | 111 | 772 | |
| 1944 | D | 380 | 109 | 489 | |
| 1940 | D | 501 | 153 | 655 | |
| 1936 | D | 504 | 57 | 570 | |
| 1932 | D | 529 | 18 | 551 | |
| 1928 | D | 552 | 118 | 670 | |
| 1924 | D | 272 | 22 | 308 | |
| 1920 | D | 498 | 53 | 551 | |
| 1916 | D | 562 | 30 | 614 | |
| 1912 | D | 549 | 12 | 600 | |
| 1908 | D | 457 | 80 | 611 | |
| 1904 | D | 482 | 31 | 642 | |
| 1900 | D | 526 | 16 | 552 | |
| 1896 | D | 952 | 122 | 1,111 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,436 | 218 | 2,207 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hancock County, anchored by the small city of Sparta, is majority Black and has delivered double-digit Democratic presidential margins for decades, making it among the most reliably left-leaning jurisdictions in a state that has grown increasingly competitive statewide.
The Democratic margin in Hancock County peaked at ninety-three points in 1932. By 1976 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-five points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Hancock County's median household income of $40,082 sits well below state and national norms, and 31% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Wyandotte County and Macon County.
