| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 797 | 3,307 | 4,255 | |
| 2020 | R | 894 | 3,475 | 4,481 | |
| 2016 | R | 683 | 2,912 | 3,974 | |
| 2012 | R | 832 | 2,607 | 3,583 | |
| 2008 | R | 950 | 2,595 | 3,683 | |
| 2004 | R | 839 | 2,815 | 3,702 | |
| 2000 | R | 766 | 2,799 | 3,734 | |
| 1996 | R | 980 | 1,948 | 3,515 | |
| 1992 | R | 973 | 1,350 | 3,372 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,379 | 1,833 | 3,330 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,290 | 2,197 | 3,512 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,110 | 2,313 | 3,785 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,567 | 1,652 | 3,407 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,004 | 1,693 | 2,863 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,036 | 1,617 | 2,858 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,577 | 1,172 | 2,759 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,220 | 1,464 | 2,691 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,212 | 1,512 | 2,724 | |
| 1952 | R | 983 | 1,378 | 2,366 | |
| 1948 | D | 802 | 784 | 1,624 | |
| 1944 | D | 997 | 787 | 1,794 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,214 | 912 | 2,136 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,262 | 546 | 1,940 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,276 | 687 | 2,068 | |
| 1928 | R | 600 | 952 | 1,571 | |
| 1924 | R | 436 | 851 | 1,581 | |
| 1920 | R | 479 | 1,026 | 1,622 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,239 | 872 | 2,324 | |
| 1912 | D | 538 | 377 | 1,232 | |
| 1908 | R | 329 | 450 | 859 | |
| 1904 | R | 190 | 395 | 677 | |
| 1900 | D | 387 | 372 | 787 | |
| 1896 | D | 527 | 270 | 803 | |
| 1892 | D | 276 | 213 | 642 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Harney County stretches across 10,000 square miles of high desert and rangeland, with an economy built on cattle ranching and timber. Its sparse, rural population has shifted toward Republican presidential candidates by growing margins over the past decade.
The Democratic margin in Harney County peaked at thirty-seven points in 1936. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Harney County's median household income of $55,208 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% 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 Idaho County and Baker County.